I am writing this mid-afternoon on 2 February 2026 — the Premier League transfer deadline day.
So far, Sunderland have signed two young players — 19-year-old Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi, and 22-year-old Swedish goalkeeper Melker Ellborg. As I’m writing, news is coming in that a deal has been agreed with Anderlecht for 22-year-old Ecuadorian winger Nilson Angulo.
The club have been much busier on the departures front — Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson, Aji Alese and Leo Hjelde have departed on loan to Championship
sides, while Timothée Pembélé and Arthur Masuaku have secured loan moves to France. Jay Matete, Joe Anderson, Blondy Nna Noukeu and Ben Middlemas have made permanent exits. There is speculation linking Adil Aouchiche with a permanent move to Schalke, and rumoured interest in a loan move for Simon Adingra.
Perhaps the most important deal so far is the transfer that didn’t happen, with Lutsharel Geertruida staying, despite an attempt by Liverpool to reunite him with his former manager, Arne Slot.
It doesn’t look like it’s going to be the exciting or ambitious transfer window that some fans have been clamouring for. That expectation appears to be based on comments made by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus in an interview with Sky Sports in November.
It’s worth revisiting what KLD actually said, when he was asked if Sunderland’s strong start to life in the Premier League could influence the club’s January approach.
I would say definitely a little bit. Because obviously if we’re in the bottom three by Christmas or we’re in the top six by Christmas, that changes the ambition a little bit. We’re currently preparing for all scenarios, but we’ve been doing that since the summer, so hopefully we’ll be going into the January window with a top ten finish in mind, and we will prepare and execute the transfer window to give us the best chance.
Those words appear to have been interpreted very differently across the fanbase, with some seeing them as a declaration that the club would spend ambitiously in this window. It doesn’t appear to me that is actually what KLD said when he used the words “hopefully we’ll be going into the January window with a top ten finish in mind”.
Sunderland currently sit 11th in the table, with a game in hand on all the teams above us. A draw tonight against Burnley would lift us back into 10th place above ‘the Visitors’. A win would put us 8th, just 4 points from the European slots.
For a newly promoted club in this Premier League era, a top-ten finish built on a sustainable model which will allow further significant investment in the summer would be a remarkable achievement.
As I have said previously, if the capable and well-oiled machine that is Sunderland’s recruitment team cannot find the right player(s) at the right price to improve this squad before the window closes, there will be no complaints from me. Nor will I consider that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has reneged in any way on what he said in November.
