Sunderland's Summer Starting to Sizzle

Article by e-Sunderland's Ben Mummery

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What an interesting few weeks it’s been for Sunderland football club!

With the world cup looming large, and most fan’s minds a million miles away from the premier league, not to mention that pressure cooker of nerves and tension that is the summer transfer window, we thought it’d be a nice opportunity to assess the club’s activity so far, as well as taking a step back, and look at the bigger picture of what’s going on at SAFC.

Let’s start with the biggest talking point so far, the much talked about and treacherous ship jumping of Tyneside’s favourite ginger prince, Jack Colback.

Picked out by Sunderland football club at age ten, and following two short loan spells at Ipswich Town, the Killingworth born midfielder has spent the remainder of his senior career at Sunderland. A product of the Sunderland academy, Colback has made 115 league appearances between 2008 and 2014, scoring 4 goals.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s quickly take a look at the player, and what Sunderland is losing:

Jack can play in centre mid, or left back. An industrious player, lacking somewhat in imagination, but what he goes wanting for in talent on the ball, he makes up for in solid hard work. While a self-confessed boyhood Newcastle fan, even the most annoyed and betrayed Sunderland fan would struggle to admit that Jack has not given one thousand percent every time he’s pulled a Sunderland shirt on, and this season in particular has cemented his place as a fan favourite – until now.

The football club has expressed a feeling of bitterness towards the player and his representatives, saying they did everything they could to make sure they met all of the contractual demands made by all parties. They also state their disappointment that after having nurtured the player from youth category to full senior player, he has left on a free transfer, leaving them unable to recoup any of their significant investment in his development and career so far.

This has been met with mixed feeling from the fans, however the overwhelming vibe seems to be that the club had plenty of time to negotiate a new contract with Colback, and simply left it too late. Other reports state that former director of football Roberto De Fanti had made a “derisory “ offer to the player, which was turned down (whether rightly or wrongly, it’s fairly standard practice that players nurtured by academies and the clubs themselves are paid way less than players bought for a fee).

My own feeling on this, are that while the player has made a move to a club that he knew full well would incite a reaction both from Sunderland AFC and their fans, the club has let itself down with this statement. One hundred and fifteen senior caps represents a significant return on their investment in Colback’s development, and proves that he was worth the effort and expense – especially for a player who did not come with a multi-million pound transfer fee. The club has paid fortunes for players that have made a fraction of the appearances Colback made, and lost money on them to boot. After seeing Jack’s efforts every single time he played, yes – all be it slightly limited in the talent department, he gave his all every single time he pulled on Red n’ White, and that’s more than can be said about some of the so called “super stars” we’ve signed in the past.

This said and done, the player has left, and nothing will change that now. Sunderland fans must begin to forget Jack Colback, and thank him for some of the great memories he’s given to Sunderland football club.

So – elsewhere, what other exciting news has taken place since the curtain came down on Sunderland’s season?

The transfer window has been a slow burn thus far, with a couple of players departing, and two Bosmans arriving.

Bardsley to Stoke, and Gardner to WBA being the notable permanent players to leave, while Borini, Ki and Alonso have been the more noted loanees to return to their parent clubs.

The arrival of Billy Jones and Jordi Gomes on free transfers represent decent signings, both tidy players, one offering an almost like for like replacement for Bardsley, the other some creativity in midfield (a decent replacement for Colback perhaps?) Seb Larsson has put pen to paper on a three year deal, and one hopes he can continue the sparkling form he found towards the end of the 13-14 season.

While links and paper talk fly in all directions, seeing us linked with Goal keepers from Man City to African strikers from France and Turkey, fans try their best to ignore ridiculous rumours and hope the club is focusing on one thing that has somehow escaped the attention of previous managers in summer transfer windows – the serious need for quality.

While Sunderland fans are without a doubt, some of the most hopeful football fans on earth, they are also some of the most realistic. Nobody in their right mind expects owner Ellis Short to delve into his Texan oil billions and spend other-worldly figures on earth’s finest players, however we do hope that Gus Poyet is able to convince the chairman that some level of spending is definitely going to be required this summer.

There are gaps in pretty much all areas of the team, and one struggles to think of an area in which we don’t need at least one player:

Goal Keeper: With the release of Kieran Westwood, and the likely release of Oscar Ustari (if papers are to be believed), another senior team keeper will be required, although the club have extended the contract of young Jordan Pickford after some impressive displays on loan.

Defense:

At least one center half with some pace is a must. Brown and O’Shea both have exceptional pedigrees, as well as real quality, but pace –no.

Billy Jones will fill in at right back with ease, and the likely re-signing of Santiago Virgini will offer good cover. Celustka and Alonso deals are not yet complete, meaning the club require a left back immediately (what is it with Sunderland NEVER having a decent left back to call their own these days?!!)

Midfield:

A “Ki” area (sorry!)

Ki has returned to Swansea and looks likely to remain, leaving Cattermole and Bridcutt to fight it out for the holding role, with Larsson and Gomes the only other two remaining senior players.

El Hadji Ba has shown some promise since his arrival, and could feature this season, while the futures of Cabral and giant Frenchman Alfred N’Daiye look to lie away from the club. Central midfield needs a serious strengthen, and sadly Mr. Short , this means a cash injection.

Wide Men:

Liverpool are said to be interested in a swap deal for Adam Johnson and Borini – what they would want with Johnson is anybody’s guess, and one suspects this might simply be to put Everton off chasing the former England international?

Regardless, little Italian Giaccerini looks set to stay, while Greek wonder kit Charis Mavrias could come into the senior team this term. The future of Duncan Watmore is unknown, and one suspects the fans would like to see him given a go.

One more addition in the wing department wouldn’t go amiss.

Forwards:

While Conner Wickham has finally come into his own, and expressed a real desire to stay at the club (good lad!), what will happen to the others is anyone’s guess.

Altidore remains an enigma, and one hopes he manages to net a few at this summer’s World Cup, if not for his confidence, then to raise his transfer fee a smidge!

Fletcher is in the same category. Reports say he is in summer training to combat injury (and a suspected alcohol fondness if papers are to be believed!), so we will see. The Scot is a decent player when fit and firing. Every fan hopes we see the owner dig in and buy Fabio Borini for a reported £10M fee, however this will remain to be seen, with the Italian stating he wants his shot at Liverpool.

At least one proven, potent striker is needed in this department too, and we all know strikers don’t come cheap!

The club has a lot of building to do this summer if we are to avoid the awful feeling we had throughout most of last season that this will be our last in the top flight, and every fan wants simply to see some ambition from the club to inch up the league one season at a time. Nobody expects miraculous leaps and bounds, but a real effort to make the team competitive and recover from the disastrous reign of Di Canio and De Fanti is something the fans are baying for. No more bargain basement signings, players never before heard of by a single person, instead we must get hold of some real quality. A player or two capable of getting supporters up out of their seats would be a welcome change, and some serious intent shown by the board and the manager is a must!

We will continue to monitor the progress of the club over the summer, and report any new happenings, in the meantime, let’s enjoy the world cup, and hope that the attentions of messes Poyet and Short are tied up, busily scouring the earth for players who can fit the bill at Sunderland.

Keep an eye on Twitter at @e_sunderland for news, gossip, transfer rumours, and all things Sunderland.

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