As the years have passed and Sunderland’s squad has been revamped, refitted and reshaped, many of the architects of those memorable seasons and moments that preceded our return to the Premier League; of League One playoff success, the freewheeling “play it your way, lads” Tony Mowbray era and to an extent our landmark 2024/2025 season under Régis Le Bris have gradually moved on.
From Corry Evans and Danny Batth to Ross Stewart and Bailey Wright; from Elliot Embleton and Patrick Roberts to Alex Pritchard
and Jack Clarke, many if not all of the lads who played key roles under the likes of Alex Neil, Mowbray and Le Bris have left for pastures new.
Of course, their legacies at Sunderland were secured in their own time but whether as a result of financial necessity, squad development or career progression, most of the players who created unforgettable moments at Hillsborough, the Hawthorns, the Madjeski Stadium and Wembley are long gone.
However, one of them is still here and still proudly wearing the red and white stripes, and on Sunday, Dennis Cirkin finally earned the right to call himself a Premier League starter as he slotted in at left back for Sunderland’s clash with Leeds United.
Like Luke O’Nien before him and after a Sunderland career that’s already encompassed League One playoff success and several promising campaigns in the Championship (including that goal against West Bromwich Albion), this felt like a landmark moment for the former Tottenham prospect — it was most definitely an opportunity earned and not given as a token gesture.
So, how did he do?
For me, as well as you’d expect for a player who’s battled back from long-term injury, has seen limited game time as a result and was therefore somewhat out of sync with Sunderland’s go-to system, the demands it places on our full backs and the frantic nature of Premier League football. In other words, he was fine.
Against the visitors — who were good value for a point and showed the kind of purpose and determination that the likes of Newcastle United lacked — Cirkin showed flashes of energy and attacking intent but was also understandably rusty and was caught cold during the build up to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s equaliser. That said, it certainly wasn’t a poor performance by any reasonable standard and I suspect he might’ve felt a quiet sense of satisfaction at how things went.
Was this a surprise? Were we expecting miracles on his first top flight start? I think not, and it was to his credit that as a frenetic and occasionally scrappy game unfolded, Cirkin — much like Chris Rigg — didn’t shirk and didn’t hide.
Only the cynical, the bitter or the downright hard-hearted would begrudge Cirkin this opportunity.
Yes, his inclusion in Sunderland’s starting eleven against Daniel Farke’s men was borne of necessity, with first choice Reinildo and Arthur Masuaku both currently on AFCON duty, but at the same time, why would the club invest so much time and energy into Cirkin’s development if they didn’t believe he was capable of eventually making the step up?
The brilliant Mozambican is our first choice by some distance, but as the Christmas schedule takes its toll and players are brought in from the fringes, the onus is on the likes of Cirkin to show that they can play a role and offer Le Bris the kind of depth that he needs. With increased game time should come greater confidence and if he can get up to speed with the demands of top flight football, I can see him doing a sterling job until Reinildo returns from Morocco and is ready to go again.
I’m unashamedly banging this particular drum for one simple reason: I like Cirkin as a footballer and I always have — not least because at his best in the Championship, he was one of the most dynamic and potent attack-minded full backs on the scene.
From afar, he strikes me as something of a complex character; a player who perhaps has something of a difficult and fractious relationship with football, and it’s fair to say that he’s often endured torrid misfortune with injuries during his time at Sunderland.
However, his ability is clear to see. He’s as deserving of a crack at top flight football as anyone and the fact that as of right now, he hasn’t put pen to paper on a new contract at Sunderland shouldn’t diminish his standing in the eyes of our fans.
As he seeks to prove that he can cut it at this level, what Le Bris and his coaching staff will almost certainly want to see from the likes of Cirkin is the kind of team-first attitude that’s propelled Sunderland along all season — and this was by no means a bad place to start.
He can play better and hopefully he will, and I hope that having sampled Premier League football for the first time, he’s hungry for more and determined to push on — starting against Manchester City later this week.
