Sunderland, a side hovering precariously above the Sky Bet Championship relegation places, are said to have suffered a setback in their hopes of keeping on-loan Bournemouth striker Lewis Grabban according to The Northern Echo.
Grabban has been one of the brighter sparks in an otherwise dull start to the Black Cats’ 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship campaign, the 29-year-old more than showing his Premier League classiness as the Wearsiders fight for their second-tier survival.
To press, classy striker Grabban has 11 goals to his name from 18 appearances, a number that represents nearly 41% of Sunderland’s goals this season. However, this output has come at a cost to them, with Bournemouth said ready to recall the hotshot striker and cash in on his successes.
The Northern Echo say that Black Cats manager Chris Coleman is “ready to move on” from Grabban and instead consider other attacking options as his embattled side fight for their Championship survival.
Grabban’s experience and goals will not be an easy set of things to replace for Sunderland, something that Coleman is said to be coming to terms with. With club owner Ellis Short adamant that there is no money to spend, Coleman realises that a permanent bid for Grabban is out of the question.
Instead, with Bournmouth likely to issue a recall for Grabban, that will pave the way for runaway leaders Wolves or play-off hopefuls Aston Villa to come in with a half-season loan deal with a guarantee of a permanent summer switch.
