‘Arry leaning out of his Land Rover. Sol Campbell crossing North London on a free and Darren Gibson on an eighteen-month deal.
The transfer window can bring up plenty of wheeling, dealing and out-of-the blue signings — and often that maybe should’ve stayed there. It’s often been said that “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, and never is that more apparent during football’s silly season.
When you consider the sheer volume of drafted contracts and money spent during the off-season, it’s no wonder that sometimes the less-heralded deals can often be the most fruitful. If we were to take a look at our own transfer window last season, for example, Nordi Mukiele, Omar Alderete and Robin Roefs were all signed for around the same combined price as Chelsea spent on Liam Delap.
The club have repeatedly spoken about “quality over quantity” as their mantra this summer but as they’ve already proven, the biggest cheques don’t always yield the greatest rewards. As such, I wanted to look at 10 players who I believe are both available, and undervalued in today’s market.
Before getting into the players, I’ll lay out some caveats.
This isn’t a look at players I believe Regis Le Bris currently needs in his squad and as such, there won’t be a particular focus on filling the more shallow elements of our squad. Nor is it a look at players I think Sunderland will go for. Sadly, I’m not privy to those conversations, but if Florent Ghisolfi is reading this, I’m available.
Instead, we’re simply going to take a look at players who would financially make great market opportunities.
This can either be through the running down of their contract, a lack of playing time or a combination of other reasons. With each player, I’ll provide reasoning why I believe the opportunity is there and I’ll also try not to include players I’ve mentioned before, so you won’t see the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliot, etc.
1. Marc Casadó (Barcelona)
Casadó is a player I regret mentioning when looking at a back up for Granit Xhaka earlier in the summer. Having just come off his third season of senior football in Catalunya after graduating from La Masia, Casadó has found himself lower down the pecking order under Hansi Flick.
Hansi Flick’s high-intensity, vertical style hasn’t suited the twenty-two-year-old, and as such he’s found Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal all above him. The calibre of Barcelona’s midfield means that his lack of minutes last season is nothing to hold against him, but with La Blaugrana attempting to bring in Bernardo Silva before his move to Madrid, it’s obvious that Casadó isn’t in their plans going forward.
His numbers show this too…
Casadó is a metronome in the middle of the park; an excellent ball-progressor and able to beat a press through his passing and decision-making.
For reference, in the 2024/2025 season, he ranked twelfth in the league for accurate passes per ninety, and when you consider that was at a 90% success rate, he feels like he could aid Le Bris in moving the ball quickly to get us out of trouble.
He could certainly improve in terms of his defensive output, but considering the disparity in standard between some of the sides in La Liga, it’s something the Spaniard could prove he can scale up in. Last summer, you’d probably have been lucky to get him for around £50 million due to his lack of minutes and the competition he faces in getting them — but I believe you could slash that price in half this summer.
I’ll admit it’s not a ‘bargain bin’ signing but it represents fantastic value. When you consider he only has two years left on his deal and that Barcelona could always use the cash, the negotiating leverage is there.
2. Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
One thing Sunderland could do with when going into the Europa League is a greater number of homegrown players.
As you look at the squad now, we appear to be well-stocked, but players such as Aji Alese, Alan Browne and Anthony Patterson will likely be departing this summer. There are a number of fantastic academy prospects who could help fill out the squad, but some English depth in the first team could be useful.
Enter Tomori.
The Englishman has made 162 appearances over six seasons in Milan, but now finds himself entering the final twelve months of his contract, meaning if Milan wish to recoup any of the €35 million they spent to get him out of Chelsea, now is their time.
Still only twenty eight, Sunderland could add some valuable experience in European competition and a number of years from a player who may yet have aspirations of making the Euro 2028 squad.
Reportedly on around £73,000 per week, only Enzo Le Fée, Xhaka and Mukiele would earn more, but having won one Scudetto in Italy, you’d be paying for valuable experience. Once more, at a likely cut-price fee, Sunderland may be able to offset those higher wages from the reduced price Milan can demand.
3. Viktor Tsigankov (Girona)
Only ten players in La Liga created more chances than Tsigankov last season and with the departure of Nazariy Rusyn, Sunderland now lack a Ukrainian contingent in the squad — indeed, Nathan Ake, Jordan Pickford and Andy Robertson have shown us that just because a side is relegated, it doesn’t mean there isn’t quality in the squad.
In spite of Girona’s relegation, Tsigankov’s eleven goals and assists would hopefully prove that he’s an asset worth plucking from their squad. With Sunderland lacking depth on the right of the attack, he could also prove to be a valuable asset in our squad-building going forward.
During 120 appearances in Girona, he’s averaged a goal or assist in one in every three of his games. His injury history isn’t spotless, missing ten games last season, but at an estimated cost of around £10 million, it’s not something that should count him out of the running.
For a twenty-eight year-old that can provide a threat by cutting in on his left foot, I think he could be an astute signing for the Lads.
4. Julian Brandt (Unattached)
If the pre-season game with York proved anything to myself, its that Le Fée should be given license to run our attack from the number ten position. The Frenchman has more than proved he was capable deployed on the left, particularly if we operate in a back three, but could really shine behind the striker.
You’d expect Habib Diarra to get some more minutes next season, and he’d likely be the backup to Le Fée, but Brandt could add experience to what’s a rather youthful attack.
He’s been linked with a number of sides since leaving Dortmund, including Leeds, Roma, Juventus and Manchester United, so if Sunderland want to acquire his services, they should move quickly.
The German, who has forty eight caps for his country, departed after seven seasons at the Westfalenstadion in which he scored fifty seven times and provided seventy assists in 307 appearances. Best deployed in a central-attacking midfield role, Brandt also spent his time in Germany deployed on the left and right wings, even making five appearances as a centre forward.
At 6’1, he’s a physical presence but it’s his play with the ball that makes Brandt so appealing. In over 1600 minutes last season, Brandt ranked in the top 15% of his peers for expected assists, and he’s used that creative output to develop his reputation over the years.
Last season wasn’t his finest — his ‘chances created per match’ ranking dropped from 2.37 to 1.68, and similar depreciations were found in his dribble volume. Other metrics did increase however; he was dribbling more often and more successfully, and he continued to win around one possession in the final third per ninety.
He was earning around £100,000 per week last season, so ideally you’d want to haggle him down on that, which is notoriously not what happens with a free agent. But given there would be no fee to pay, he could be an incredibly valuable asset for Sunderland.
5. Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace)
I want to get Palace back for van Aanholt. Yes, he may have handed in a transfer request and we made ten times our initial investment on him, but still…
Sometimes you don’t need a Trent Alexander-Arnold, inverting wingbacks or goalscoring full backs. Sometimes you need a full back that’ll give you a solid 7/10 every week, can defend well and will put a decent cross in every now and then — and I see Mitchell as that guy.
Despite playing as a wing back in a back three system under Oliver Glasner, Mitchell operated more as a full back in an elbow defence while Daniel Muñoz provided more attacking output from the right flank. Mitchell was in the top 20% of full backs in Premier League for tackles and ball recoveries, whereas he was only in the top 50% for chances created.
Let’s take a look at how he compares to Reinildo last season:
He matches up pretty well to Reinildo, making more tackles and being dribbled past less often, yet his passing is slightly weaker and he isn’t as keen to intercept the ball so much. I really believe we could add a young, English rotation option to Reinildo at left back and not notice the difference.
So, why is he good value?
Mitchell’s contract expires next summer. He’s still only twenty six so could potentially dedicate at least six more years of first team football to whichever club he decides to spend that time at. He wouldn’t be missing out on European football by moving north, either.
For a twenty-six year-old with a year left on his contract, I think you could test Palace’s will for £15 million, as they’ve already exercised a one-year extension on the Englishman’s deal. To me, this feels like a no-brainer.
6. Reiss Nelson (Arsenal)
Nelson made his Arsenal debut nine years ago in the 2017 Community Shield, and despite loan spells at Hoffenheim, Feyenoord, Fulham and Brentford, he’s never really nailed down consistent firs team minutes anywhere. I’d like to frame him as a Patrick Roberts-esque figure here — a promising youth prospect who’s never really found a home and could do with some love.
He’s twenty six now (still a great age), but in the last four seasons, he’s never managed to rack up over 500 league minutes. While Arsenal let go of Leandro Trossard and spent £40 milli0n on Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, if he didn’t know his time in North London was done before then, he should do now.
So if so many clubs have given up on Nelson, why should Sunderland?
Well for starters, you’d believe Arsenal have clearly seen something in him. Despite bringing in Gabriel Martinelli and Trossard and letting Emile Smith-Rowe go, they’ve retained his services. He’s been an English international at U17, U19 and U21 level, so you have to believe there’s significant talent there.
Ultimately, his sample size in the league is just too small to analyse, but from what we’ve seen he’s comfortable on the left and right wings. In his season at Feyenoord, he gathered double figures for goal involvements across all competitions. At Hoffenheim, he managed seven goals in twenty three appearances.
These all indicate that given the opportunity, Nelson can deliver and would perhaps just need consistent opportunities to prove that.
Benfica and Valencia are interested, given his contract expires next June, an option to remain in England could be appealing to him. I’m not sure you’d have to pay anything more than £10 million to secure his services.
7. Anis Hadj Moussa (Feyenoord)
You may have seen the Algerian during this summer’s World Cup, but he only made substitute appearances behind Riyad Mahrez, which I don’t think you can hold against him. Now twenty four, he could be ready to graduate to a higher level of football in Europe, and his numbers indicate he’s ready for it.
Only four players created more chances than Hadj Moussa in the Eredivisie last year.
He generated the most expected assists in the league and ranked second in the league for successful dribbles per ninety. This is a player who can dribble effectively, cutting in on his left foot from the right flank to generate chances for his teammates.
Last summer, he extended his contract until 2030, so it’s not like there’s value to be had there. He’s now coming into his peak years, so if Feyenoord want to sell, now’s their best time to do so… and why does he have to constitute good value?
Well, Feyenoord will likely want around €30 million for the winger, and it’s not a position which is incredibly well-stocked in Europe.
A player who has contributed to twenty eight goals over the last two seasons for a reasonable price isn’t easy to come by. He’s already had Europa League experience, contributing two goals and an assist in eight games in the competition. Moreover, it isn’t as if the Algerian is performing at a decent level in a weaker league — he’s excelling.
His creative numbers are incredible, ranking in the top 10% of players in the league for chances created, the top 5% for successful crosses and successful dribbles, he provides an incredible threat to backlines.
In a scenario where Brian Brobbey occupies two centre backs, a winger would be needed to double up on him leaving space in other central areas. Not just a creative outlet, the Algerian is taking almost three shots a game and although that may decrease in the Premier League, if his potency decreases by half, he would be taking more shots than Chemsdine Talbi.
£30 million isn’t cheap, but Tyrique George has just joined Everton for £24 million and Abdul Fatawu has left League One Leicester for £23 million to join Ipswich.
I firmly believe Hadj Moussa is significantly better value than both of those deals.
8. Lorenzo Pellegrini (Unattached)
An alternative free-agent to Brandt could be Pellegrini.
Like the German, Pellegrini is now thirty and produces his best work in a central attacking midfield role. Pellegrini also provides a physical presence and at 6’1, he’s able to use his frame, winning 45% of his aerial duels.
As I previously mentioned, our frontline is pretty inexperienced and adding a player that’s captained Roma to the European Conference League could help us get through some tricky midweek fixtures in Europe, whilst adding more leadership to the group.
Pellegrini is very much a different profile to Le Fée, so let’s take a look at their numbers.
Their numbers may appear relatively similar, but given our style of play compared to Pellegrini under Gian Piero Gasparini, they do provide more of a reflection of the players.
He’s often been operating in a deeper midfield role, reflected in his higher passing volume. He’s also more of a ‘box-crasher’ than a creator and considering our counter-attacking style of play last season, to have a very similar level of xA created to Le Fée indicates his propensity to finish rather than create.
Recently, his defensive work has been lacking, so to get the most of him, a rotational role may be best. The other thing to note is his delivery from set pieces has consistently been excellent. If you’ve got Brobbey, Dan Ballard, Mukiele or Omar Alderete in the box, this could prove incredibly valuable.
No fee for adding depth and leadership to the squad? Makes sense to me.
9. Arthur Avrom (Lorient)
Le Fée and Le Bris have done a lot to repair the relationship between Lorient and Sunderland that was damaged by Didier Ndong. Regardless, I hope Avrom will be able to contribute to the positive rather than the negative side of that.
Of U23 midfielders with more than 900 minutes, Avrom joins Nico Paz, Jude Bellingham and Elliot Anderson in making 4+ shot creating actions and 3.5 tackles and interceptions per ninety. That’s some serious company to be keeping, and proves he is not only a ball winner but also a creator.
That almost sums Avrom up —he’s a midfielder that likes to be involved in all phases of play, contributing just under five defensive actions per game whilst being able to dribble at over a 50% accuracy, be in the top 15% of midfielders for fouls won and create over a chance a game.
I think we need more depth in midfield, and a player who can operate as a six, an eight or even a box-crashing ten could be a really useful asset to us next season.
However, there’s a sticking point, which is Lorient’s links to Bournemouth via a multi-club ownership scheme. They may get credit in the Premier League for their scouting of players such as Eli Junior Kroupi and Dango Ouattara, but in reality they were all under the same umbrella. Avrom’s contract expires next summer.
Whilst I can’t find any rumours linking other clubs to the Cameroonian, such a talent allowing his contract to run down seems fishy to me, and if we don’t see him down on the south coast soon, I wouldn’t mind him in the North East.
£10 to £13 million gets it done and if you have X, I recommend taking a look at this:
10. Guus Til (Feyenoord)
We’re going back to Rotterdam with our final option, and I’ll admit that there’s bias on my side here, as Til has produced for me on Football Manager whenever I’ve needed a result.
The Dutchman is a pretty unusual profile for a player, partly due to his versatility.
Due to injuries to Ricardo Pepi and Alassane Pléa, he’s often operated as a makeshift striker as opposed to his typical attacking midfield role. Think of him like a Dutch Thomas Muller. The twenty-eight year-old managed to find his way into the Netherland’s World Cup squad this year, although he only played thirty one minutes.
With fourteen goals and four assists in the league last term, it’s no wonder he made his way Stateside.
His finishing was incredible and despite only being in the top 60% for shots volume per ninety in Holland last year, he was in the top 4% for goals last year. His finishing is stellar, overperforming his xG by 4.16.
Despite initially developing as an attacking midfielder, Til is physically able to compete against defences, winning just under half of his aerial duels. One thing he won’t look to do is dribble — he’s only completing around one dribble every ten games, but that’s not what you want him to do.
Incredibly adept at finding space in the box from his movement or anticipation, Til is able to have 5.52 touches in the box per ninety, compared to Brobbey’s 4.33 or Le Fée’s 1.90. I could see Brobbey and Til working incredibly well if Sunderland need a goal, as the gravity of defences Brobbey generates would only enable Til to find more space in attacking areas where his finishing could shine.
With only two years left on his deal and in a game where physical speed is often preferred to speed of thought, I think you could get Til for around £10 to £15 million, which I think represents great value.
