Malc Dugdale says…
The first priority has to be thinning out what may insensitively be termed “deadwood” across the squad for me.
We have a lot of players who we know won’t make the grade for a team pushing for the UEFA Champions
League slots (I can’t believe I’m writing that about us, and it’s actually something that could come off!). I say let’s be fair to them and get them moved on so their careers can progress, and our finances can balance better, too.
I’m not going to pretend I know who should go where, or who Regis should keep back as a future first team fringe contender, but like any good gardener will tell you, you can only really grow in the best way if you have a good trim first.
The second priority should be getting loans for those who are not super close to the exit door, but need regular footy to increase their development and chances of a future Premier League starting berth. This tranche of transfer work could well include some of the young stars who helped us come up last season in smaller to medium parts, but aren’t quite yet making it right now.
We may opt to sell some of these guys, too, and people like Dan Neil and Antony Patterson may well be considered for an exit if a suitable offer comes in that cannot be declined. Some will have a better future value with a loan, so a balance between the two may be used to grow skill and value, but decent sales will not be taken lightly with PSR focus, something that all clubs need to stay across.
In terms of new blood in, we need to see how we get on with a few players returning from injury, but I’d like to see wide-man cover come in, and also someone who can potentially cover for our wonder signing, Xhaka. If we lost the Big Cheese from Switzerland right now, we could be quickly quite exposed in the middle and in terms of significant Premier League experience. AFCON could mean injuries for some of those who could help with that, too.
Overall, if we can thin out, loan out, or sell a few, and invest in a few more strong players to add to the impressive start we have had, we will be in an even better place to stay in the top ten, and maybe even better.
But, it all needs to start with a good old clear out, and what better time to do that than early in the new year, eh?
Tom Albrighton says…
I agree with Malc and think the first priority is to cut the deadwood hanging around the squad alongside anyone who is non-committal to this point. That in itself sounds very cutthroat, but so has been the approach this far, which has brought us to unimaginable heights (at the time of writing anyway) – and with PSR hanging round to make sure the books balance, every little helps in this case.
The second priority has to be filling the squad with as much talent as possible. This sounds a bit bizarre given the influx during the summer, but if we are to head into January in the top 10 of the Premier League and with positive PR oozing from almost every pore, the opportunity to sign players aligned to our standing at the time won’t come around too often. Does that mean we’ll drop £80m on Fermin Lopez? I doubt it, but it does mean we have an opportunity to shop in heady markets, particularly for the mercurial wingers and hybrid midfielders that kick things up another gear.
Whilst everything at the club is meticulously planned and January will be no different, this winter window must also cede itself to the old adage of not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Nothing in football is guaranteed, and it would be a very brave (or extremely confident) man to wait until the summer.
Of course, with AFCON to contend with and a heavy schedule, there is also scope that very little may change, and the priority may be securing players for development ahead of the coming seasons.
Either way, there are very few, if any, gaping holes in the squad and even less to worry about, so this is a rare January where, providing we track nicely through December, we can all sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Alex Charlton says…
First of all, there are a host of players who remained at the club past the summer window who need to be moved on in January. Nothing against the likes of Ba, Pembele, Matete et al, but they have no future at the club and need fresh challenges to rejuvenate their careers.
Then there are the likes of Neil, Cirkin, and Patto who I’m genuinely torn over. I believe that they are good enough to be squad players in the Premier League, but opportunities have been minimal, and there are no signs that they will be used anytime soon. Maybe a Championship loan would be good for them, but if they do go, then we must ensure we bring in better replacements.
It is clear that over the summer and beyond, we wanted a centre-back, Jhon Lucumi specifically. However, it is evident that we are strong in that area, and I’d be quite content if we didn’t bring in another central defender. We’ve had injuries in that position and we’ve been fine, so I’d rather us bolster elsewhere.
Much will depend on injuries and AFCON, but I’d quite like to see us bulk up our midfield for a testing winter period. With Sadiki and Diarra set to leave for an unknown period of time, it leaves us thin on the ground in terms of quality. Yes, we have Le Fee, Rigg, and maybe even Geertruida, but we could struggle without any reinforcements. The links with Guendouzi are unsurprising, and I think we will target a player of his quality.
Top 10 is the ambition, and KLD knows when to take advantage of a situation, so I expect Sunderland to be ruthless. I can see big incomings and outgoings, and who wouldn’t want to play for us right now?
Matty Crichton says…
For me, the first priority is not getting complacent with how we’ve started. We’ve signed some brilliant players, achieved some fantastic results and always relegation feels like something to not bother worrying about, but the Premier League is a ruthless division, and if every other club is looking to improve, we can’t stand still.
This is a league where you need depth in every position, and you also need a succession plan for any potential departures. Sunderland have been ruthless in replacing loyal starters this summer, and if we want to aspire to go further and be a top 10 club, even a European one (because why not dream), we have to keep recruiting better and better in every department of the club. Back in June, you would have laughed if someone said Granit Xhaka would join, but look now. Right now, Sunderland is on the up, and rather than accepting we’ve had a good start and may have done enough, why not do more, why not dream a little more and push forward? As our chairman suggested, it looks like that is the plan, and I’m honestly just so excited to see what calibre of player can come through the door next.
Secondly, there’s one major problem at Sunderland right now, which naturally hasn’t been talked about because of the results on the pitch, the bomb squad. We may not be wasting 300K a week on Raheem Sterling, but I imagine when you add up the likes of Ian Poveda, Abdoullah Ba, Timothee Pembele and many more, you’re looking at a figure that could pay the weekly wages of some new January recruits.
As a result of changing leagues, you’re always going to have players who’ve fell out of favour who aren’t in a rush to escape from their improved Premier League wages, but more wages we can trim and transfer fees we can generated, the healthier position the club will be in and it’s not healthy to have a high number of players surplus to requirements at any football club.
I’m adamant we’ll see a flurry of six-month loans this winter.
