Exclusive: ‘Sunderland can’t reject huge bids despite Bellingham and Watson exits’
Sunderland may have received a huge cash boost after achieving promotion to the Premier League but they are unlikely to drastically change their recruitment model.
That is the view of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider that a few more players may leave if the Black Cats receive offers that are too good to turn down.
Despite finishing 24 points behind the two automatically promoted sides, and 14 behind their playoff final opponents Sheffield United, Sunderland’s 2-1 win at Wembley secured their return to the Premier League after an eight-year hiatus.
But despite securing their return to England’s top-flight, this summer’s transfer window got off to an inauspicious start for Regis Le Bris‘ side.
Tommy Watson joined Brighton on a pre-agreed transfer, whilst Jobe Bellingham departed for Borussia Dortmund.
Habib Diarra has joined from Strasbourg, breaking Sunderland’s record outlay on a player, but rumours persist of Chris Rigg and Trai Hume’s potential exits to Everton.
Sunderland won’t got crazy trying to secure Premier League survival
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, finance expert Plumley explained that whilst Sunderland will probably add more experienced figures to their squad, they will likely stick with the methods of bringing young talent through that has brought them so much success.
Whilst Premier League money will give them a better chance of holding on to their best players, if a bid comes in that is “too good to turn down”, the club will be forced to part ways with their stars, as they did with Bellingham.
Plumley also expects Sunderland to be unafraid to spend, but does not expect the Black Cats to go too far in their pursuit of Premier League survival.
He said: “It’s a really tricky one because ultimately it depends on what the club’s expectations are for this season.
“There’s a fairly logical argument that you need some experienced heads to come in and give that a little bit of Premier League experience and work with those youngsters and develop them as well on the pitch, to have a fighting chance of staying up.
“You could do that and still get relegated, quite conceivably, because it’s so hard to stay in the Premier League, especially when you’ve not been there for a number of years, which is where Sunderland find themselves.
“They could back their approach and go, ‘okay, we’re not going to spend big money, we’re going to reinvest any of that money into the club, we’re going to stabilise the club financially’.
“’We’ll still look to sell players where the offer is too good to turn down e.g. Bellingham and Dortmund, and that is our model and we anticipate that we will give it the best shot, but there is a likelihood again that we get relegated’.
“So that then comes back to how do you want to spend that TV cash? And we’ve seen a lot of clubs attack this in different ways and you could look to spend a little bit of it, big conservative and stabilise financially, which is no bad thing, given Sunderland’s financial situation.
“You know, again, it’s tough in the lower leagues because you’re loss making and you’re constantly chasing or you spend some of that money and try and have a real go, but none of those two things really guarantee you survival.
“I think if we’re looking at what they could do versus what they will do, I think we’ll probably see them bringing one or two experienced players as the window moves on that won’t pay ridiculously high fees.
“And also, if they do get offers that are too good to turn down, I think a couple of those players might move on and they’ll look to again bring on the next wave of talent.
“So I think they’ll put it somewhere in the middle of we’re not going to throw everything at this, we’re going to use some of that money wisely and look to try and stabilise the club as well.”
Sunderland eye deal for Dominic Calvert-Lewin in bid to add experience
In their bid to add experience at a sensible price, Sunderland may turn to Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer.
The English striker has endured several injuries in recent seasons, limiting his output whilst with Everton.
Calvert-Lewin will leave the Toffees on a free transfer this summer and whilst he may be several seasons removed from his peak, the striker has plenty of experience at the top level.
Players like the 28-year-old have plenty to offer to a team like Sunderland, and a short-term deal as a rotational piece in Le Bris’ squad may be perfect for both parties.