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Dear Roker Report,
Next time Sunderland step out at the Stadium of Light, it’ll be 2026, but what a year 2025 has been.
Twelve months ago, if someone said that Sunderland would finish the year inside the top ten of the Premier
League, you would ask how many festive drinks you’d had.
The reality is we are — and what a year.
Moving forward into 2026, the transfer window is a challenge that’ll cause debate among the fans: do we stick or twist?
In sticking, we’d go with majority of the squad we have knowing we’re more than capable of finishing in the top half with money to invest in the summer, or do we take the gamble and shift a few out —which would include fan favourites like Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson — and spend £100 million more in a push for a top six finish?
For me, it’s worth that gamble now.
This squad may never get a better chance of European football but it’s a squad that needs improvement to achieve those goals.
Happy New Year — and Haway the Lads!
Mark
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Mark. Thank you for your letter.
This is the dilemma the club faces, isn’t it?
We’re heading into 2026 in a wonderful position and hopefully ideally positioned to attract some real quality in January, but of course there are financial restrictions within which we have to operate and I don’t see the club taking any undue risks — even though the rewards could be significant.
I don’t think the squad needs a major overhaul this month — two or three top quality additions should hopefully be enough to see us through to the end of the campaign and hopefully a top ten finish — which would set us up for what could be yet another exciting summer.
Let’s see how it pans out in January!
Dear Roker Report,
Hope we go for a proven striker and not someone who hits the net occasionally.
Ian Frame
Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Ian. Thank you for getting in touch.
I must admit that I’d love to see a “natural” finisher at Sunderland — similar to Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Leeds United — and I have a feeling the club will be zeroing in on this area next month.
We’re in a very strong position in the league but goals are proving hard to come by at the moment, so it’s certainly something worth considering and it’ll be interesting to see how our centre forward options look when the window closes.
