A short, sharp precursor to a January exit? Something and nothing — or the beginnings of a transfer saga that could cast a wholly unwelcome shadow over the remainder of Sunderland’s season before a summer
move is eventually ratified and rubber-stamped?
However you view it and regardless of which side of the “sell or keep” argument you sit, the recent rumours concerning Wilson Isidor’s future aren’t exactly unexpected, given his undeniable talent and the situation in which he currently finds himself at Sunderland, but they are highlighting the stark balance we have to strike — that of on-field progress, ambition and squad strength, and balanced books and final stability.
Interest has supposedly arisen both at home and abroad, with fellow Premier League sides Nottingham Forest and Everton credited with an interest and French upstarts Paris FC — seemingly the new “noisy neighbours” in the French capital — apparently ready and willing to throw a comparatively enormous sum of money in our direction in order to lure Isidor across the channel.
Tempting, isn’t it?
“We love you, Wilson…until £20-plus million is dangled in front of us, in which case we’d be happy to bid you farewell.”
If the mercurial striker does leave for pastures new, I can also see various coping mechanisms kicking in among pockets of the fanbase.
In some quarters, his ability, work rate and impact will be questioned, and his body language analysed for any signs of a poor attitude or a negative demeanour. This isn’t new; after all, if we convince ourselves that he’s already “checked out”, it would make it easier to deal with because deep down, we all know how talented a footballer he is and that he could be an asset to any team.
I won’t lie: despite the numbers being bandied around, the thought of Sunderland selling Isidor to a Premier League rival — particularly without a very high-quality replacement arriving in his stead — gives me a burning feeling in the pit of my stomach, the kind I felt in the wake of Darren Bent’s messy Wearside exit in 2011.
Were he to leave for France and a new league, fair enough, but potentially strengthening a rival whilst possibly weakening Régis Le Bris’ squad in the process? Not for me. I really do rate Isidor that highly and that’s how strongly I feel about it.
I love his talent, his penchant for a spectacular goal, his seemingly endless supply of optimism and childlike joy at playing football for a living — as well as his potential at the top level, which at the time of writing remains tantalisingly untapped.
Four Premier League goals may be something of a modest return but Isidor — a confidence player and someone for whom hot and cold streaks are simply part of the deal — is by no means a “Flash Harry” and we mustn’t forget that he played a key role during the successful 2024/2025 playoff campaign, getting the ball rolling with a superbly-taken goal against Coventry City — one of many ridiculous strikes he clocked up that season.
There’s another point here — one that needs to be reiterated in the strongest possible terms.
As Sunderland supporters, we should be willing to place trust in the club hierarchy when it comes to decisions like this, but I also believe that if we do have doubts or concerns about the potential impact of such a transfer, we should reserve the right to question such calls if and when they’re made.
This should be accepted without question and despite the exceptional work completed by Florent Ghisolfi and Kristjaan Speakman, allowing such a popular and talented player to leave — regardless of how widely and regularly the “We’ll easily be able find a replacement ” narrative is hawked around — wouldn’t be greeted entirely warmly.
Should Isidor leave before the deadline, is it unreasonable to claim that with only Eliezer Mayenda and Brian Brobbey as our striking options, we would look somewhat short up top and that there would be far greater and possibly unnecessary pressure on Mayenda to begin to develop at an even quicker rate? I don’t think so, and I say that as someone who loves Mayenda as a player and has also been hugely impressed with the impact made by Brobbey.
Depth at this level is key and no matter what the naysayers may claim, I firmly believe that Isidor does have the potential to establish himself as a genuine top flight-quality striker.
The arguments about his style not complimenting the team’s as a whole may not be totally without merit, but I also believe that players with unique attributes should be given chances to impress, and were we to develop the capacity to occasionally adjust our style of play and place more emphasis on finesse rather than force, that’s where he could thrive.
For now, it’s a waiting game — and this is the new reality at Sunderland.
With coveted players on the books comes the risk of interest from elsewhere, and it’s something that we may have to brace ourselves for more often if this season of huge promise continues in a similar vein.
