Sunderland got their first win of the season last weekend against Rotherham United after a lacklustre start to the campaign.
Sunderland started the season with three competitive defeats in a row, but have finally got off the mark with three points against the Millers last Saturday.
The Black Cats have had a decent summer, but it’s been far from ideal as things stand. Sunderland are crying out for depth in certain areas and with just under two weeks left of the window it seems less and less likely all those areas will be addressed in time.
There could still be some incomings and outgoings between now and next Friday with Patrick Roberts the latest man linked with a move away. Alan Nixon claims on his Patreon Celtic and Southampton are interested in the winger who is in the final year of his Sunderland contract. It really wouldn’t make sense for Sunderland to let him go, but he is also joined by Jack Clarke who has been subject to Premier League interest this summer.
The latest reports suggest Sunderland have placed a £15million price tag on Clarke with a deal looking increasingly unlikely this summer.
A potential replacement for those wingers is Jesurun Rak-Sakyi. The 20-year-old Crystal Palace winger is highly-rated and his promising loan spell in League One last season has led to a fair amount of interest from the second tier this summer. Sunderland are the latest team to join the race, but won’t be without competition should they make a move.
Jay Stansfield is another Premier League loan talked about this summer. Millwall and Sunderland are claimed to be targeting the attacker who spent last season on loan at Exeter City in the third tier. The 20-year-old contributed to 16 goals in League One last season and appears to be on the move again this summer.
Elsewhere, Sunderland reportedly sent a final bid to Zorya for striker Nazariy Rusyn (via @ZoryaLondonsk). €2-3million was the fee mentioned, and whilst updates have gone quiet on this one, it may still be one to keep an eye on as Sunderland look for much-needed depth up top.
It has also been confirmed Sunderland held discussions with youngsters Silko Thomas and Bobby Bjork. Both players are free agents and are promising talents, but it remains to be seen whether the interest will materialise.
Glentorn winger Rhys Walsh is another prospect Sunderland reportedly have on their radar. The 17-year-old is said to have spent a week in the north east, but with several clubs interested competition is strong for his signature.
The Black Cats were also credited with moves for Chilean prospect Alexander Aravena and PSG defender Colin Dagba. The former was said to cost around €8million and that appears to have been the end of Sunderland’s interest, whilst the latter deal appears to have gone quiet with it reported as a tough deal to make.
A player looking likely to leave is experienced defender Danny Batth (via Nixon’s Patreon). He doesn’t seem to be part of Sunderland’s long-term plans despite being their player of the year last season and with less than a year left on his contract QPR and Blackburn Rovers are monitoring the situation.
Ross Stewart looks as if he’ll stay at Sunderland this summer despite reports Middlesbrough were considering an offer. No one really knows where the Scot’s future lies, but for now he remains a Sunderland player.
Finally, Sunderland were linked with a move for Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone, but with the Saints having lost James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia, it seems very unlikely Smallbone will be going anywhere this summer.
