Transfer latest plus Clarke and Pritchard talk as Sunderland close in on Hjelde
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00:00 [Music]
00:28 Hello and welcome to the RAW podcast brought to you by the Sunderland Echo.
00:33 My name is Joe Nicholson and I'm joined by my fellow Sunderland writer, James Copley, on our regular Monday podcast.
00:40 Today we're going to be looking back at Saturday's 3-1 win over Stoke at the Stadium of Light as well as the latest transfer news ahead of Thursday's 11pm deadline.
00:51 James, there's a lot to talk about off the pitch in terms of transfers but we'll start with matters on the pitch against Stoke.
00:59 Sunderland with a pretty huge 3-1 win for Michael Beale against the Potters.
01:05 Could have easily been different. There was at that moment in the first half where Anthony Patterson made a big save and then Luka 9 cleared him off the line.
01:12 Sunderland then going on to win the game with Mason Burstow opening the scoring just before half-time and then second half goals from Abdullah Bah and Pierre Ecouard.
01:22 What did you make of the game? Just how much of an improvement was it from Sunderland from that pretty damaging defeat against Hull the week before?
01:29 Obviously it was a huge three points for Beale given the unrest at the club over the last week.
01:34 Yeah, Michael Beale really needed that. I thought it was a good performance. It was far from convincing. Stoke had chances. They caused Sunderland problems with pace.
01:46 They missed a few good chances and I think if they'd had a really top-class striker that could finish, I think they could have been ahead.
01:53 Sunderland killed the game though with the two goals either side of half-time.
01:57 There's never a good time to concede a goal, but particularly just before half-time and just after half-time.
02:03 So to have that both in one game for Stoke was a bit of a killer. But yeah, you have to give credit where credit's due.
02:11 I thought Sunderland's intensity was a lot better and I thought they looked more at it. I think they pressed a little bit better from the front, which is what you want to see at home.
02:19 They didn't give Stoke too much room, too much time to breathe. I thought Jack Clarke up against Lyndon Gooch, the return of Lyndon Gooch, was very good.
02:27 Good to see Abdullah Barr, two goals and an assist. I think Paterson did make that crucial save though and if that goes in, it could be a little bit different.
02:35 Stoke's front men were really, really wasteful and it was interesting to hear Schumacher after the game lamenting the chances missed.
02:42 And talking about a striker as well and possibly wanting a striker and all that sort of stuff. So it's not just Sunderland that are in these positions.
02:50 But yeah, a good win. I thought the atmosphere at the Stadium of Light was interesting because there was no sort of anti-bail chances for you during the week.
03:04 But there wasn't any chance for him when Sunderland went 3-0 up and then eventually 3-1. It was very subdued. I think it's going to take a little bit of time for that relationship to be healed.
03:15 Whether it can ever be fully healed, I don't know. But I think it's a vital first step on the road to recovery and then all eyes are on Middlesbrough now on Sunday.
03:27 But yeah, I thought it was a good win, important win for him. But I think all eyes are on the transfer market now really and that's probably what people have tuned in to listen about.
03:37 It certainly buys him a bit of time, doesn't it? If they had lost on Saturday, you can only think about what sort of reaction there would have been if Sunderland fell behind.
03:45 But it does buy him a bit of time now. Another big game against Middlesbrough coming up on Sunday and if they can get a result there, that could then get Bale a bit more credit in the bank.
03:56 As you mentioned there, we will move on to transfers and there was a kind of breaking story just before the team news dropped on Saturday.
04:04 Sunderland releasing a statement about Alex Pritchard saying on Friday morning, Alex Pritchard informed the club that he was no longer available for selection and he subsequently withdrew from today's matchday squad.
04:18 The midfielder has also expressed his desire to leave SAFC with immediate effect. Now, Bale was asked about this after the match and he kind of diplomatically reiterated the club's statement.
04:30 We know that this situation with Pritchard has been going on for a while. He is out of contract at the end of this season.
04:37 He was not offered a new contract in the summer and Sunderland were quite prepared to let him leave. He has now got back into the side in recent weeks and been kind of a key player under Michael Bale.
04:50 But what have you kind of made of this whole saga? Where does this leave Pritchard now?
04:56 We know there has been a bit of interest from Birmingham, and there has been interest from abroad, but it seems pretty clear now that he is not wanting to play for Sunderland and there is this impasse between the player and the club.
05:10 Yeah, I think it is multifaceted, multilayered. I think on social media people tend to fall into two camps. Either they pin this on the club or they are unhappy with Alex Pritchard.
05:20 I genuinely think that the truth is somewhere in the middle. Personally, as a Sunderland fan myself, a player declaring himself unable to play and not willing to play, I find that a really tough pill to swallow.
05:36 Because I think if you are under contract at the club, I think you should play and that sort of withdrawal of labour, it does not sit well with me.
05:42 On the flip side to that, I do respect and understand that he has his career to think of and if he gets injured, that is really no good for him with six months left on his contract playing for Sunderland when there has been such drama about his contract.
05:56 So, I do respect his decision in that way, but for me, I do not think a player should ever do that while under contract at the club.
06:03 The other side, that is Pritchard's side and how he has handled it, but this is a situation actually, as you mentioned, that dates back to last summer.
06:13 Sunderland promoted with Pritchard to League One, he then helped stabilise them in the Championship.
06:20 Tony Mowbray comes in, he gets to that summer and Pritchard's future is up in the air with Guch and Bath.
06:29 Those were the three that we actually thought were going to leave, didn't we? And it was a bit of a surprise to see Alex Pritchard stay.
06:34 We all thought he was on the way out. The noises were that he was going to go. He didn't. He stayed. He got his way back into the XI.
06:43 And I think, you know, Sunderland's handling of that situation in the summer probably left a lot to be desired from the players' point of view.
06:52 And, you know, that's understandable. Pritchard started performing well, got back into the side and now Sunderland suddenly have offered Pritchard a new contract.
07:01 A one-year deal.
07:04 Now, this is where the two key differences are between club and player at the moment, is that Pritchard is seeking long-term security.
07:12 He wants longer than a year. At his age, that's completely understandable. 29, 30, he wants a two or three-year contract.
07:18 It's probably his last opportunity for a contract of that length. Sunderland possibly don't want to offer that length of contract to a player
07:27 who mightn't contribute too much for them in the next two or three seasons. So I can understand both sides of the argument.
07:34 There's obviously a little bit of an impasse on money as well, as I understand that Sunderland have offered broadly the same money that Pritchard's on currently.
07:40 Pritchard would obviously like to get a little bit of more money, given the offers he understands he's got on the table from elsewhere as well.
07:47 So, as I say, it's multifaceted, multilayered. I think it's very hard to see Pritchard staying now, isn't it?
07:55 But to let him go, I think Sunderland are going to want a fee, however minimal that is, because he does have six months left on his deal.
08:03 But it's just a little bit of a sorry episode. I don't know what you think about this, Joe.
08:08 But Alex Pritchard, I think there's some wrong on his part. I can understand why he's upset.
08:15 The timing of Christian Speakman coming out and saying the player, I'm sure he's happy, getting that story into the media, they probably feel a little bit backed into the corner.
08:23 Then they've reacted like this. So there's definitely wrong on both sides.
08:27 But I feel like, going back to the Alex Neil situation, he clearly wasn't happy with his contract and his situation at Sunderland, and that played out.
08:35 And it was absolutely the wrong thing for him to do to leave so quickly before a game.
08:42 Some Sunderland fans can never be forgiven. And what Alex Pritchard's done for some Sunderland fans will never be forgiven, and that's absolutely fair enough.
08:49 But there was angst over the way Alex Neil was handled. Tony Mowbray has certainly felt annoyed over the way his situation was handled.
08:59 And now it's happened to Alex Pritchard as well. So there is a little bit of a theme developing there.
09:04 You hope it doesn't continue long term. Every contract situation is different.
09:08 And it should be said that Sunderland have managed to agree deals with Roberts, Ballard, Neil, Paterson.
09:14 So there can be deals done. But there is a sense that this can happen at Sunderland.
09:20 And we are guilty of looking at this in a Sunderland bubble and a Sunderland gaze as well.
09:24 It does happen at other clubs. It's a byproduct of the transfer window.
09:28 But perhaps Sunderland have tried to be a little bit too clever with this one, unfortunately, and it has backfired.
09:33 And it's a shame that it's worked out this way because Alex Pritchard was a player who was contributing.
09:38 The story was made a little bit less so by the fact that his replacement in the squad ended up scoring and getting two assists.
09:44 You would think that if he does go, Sunderland would need to replace him in the transfer market.
09:48 But it's a shame it's come to this because I've enjoyed watching Alex Pritchard play in the Stadium of Light.
09:53 And I can completely understand some of why he might feel a little bit annoyed at Sunderland as well.
09:58 Yeah, I agree. And I mean, the times I've spoken to Alex Pritchard, I haven't spoken to him this season, the club haven't put him up.
10:04 But the times I've spoken to him in kind of recent seasons, he's a player that kind of always wears his heart on his sleeve.
10:09 If the club and the team have lost a game, you can tell he's really dejected and disappointed.
10:14 And speaking to other players kind of after games this season, they've always spoke highly of Pritchard.
10:19 How, although he's not been in the team, he's kind of that good influence around the dressing room and kind of keeping players motivated.
10:25 You can see when players are walking off the pitch a lot of the time this season, he's been kind of kind of seeing them off the pitch and giving them encouragement after games.
10:35 So it is disappointing to see how this has ended. But you mentioned Tony Mowbray there and his Birmingham side have been linked with Pritchard.
10:42 And Mowbray was asked about that after a Birmingham game at the weekend and kind of left the door open for maybe a deal there.
10:49 We've also heard that there's reported interest from abroad in Pritchard. We understand in the summer that there wasn't any offers.
10:55 So Sunderland couldn't accept an offer for Pritchard to leave, even though they did seem willing to let him go.
11:01 But if Pritchard does leave, which it looks now likely in the final few days of the season with him not happy with his situation, as you kind of alluded to there,
11:11 Sunderland would probably need to bring in a replacement and considering they already need to strengthen other areas.
11:16 Left-back, which we'll come on to up front as well. It seems that they would need to bring in a replacement for Pritchard in quite a short period of time.
11:24 So do you see that kind of happening now?
11:28 It's an interesting one. I was intrigued this morning to read your report on the Arsenal 19-year-old loanee that can play right wing potential loan.
11:37 You'd certainly think Sunderland would need to get somebody in, wouldn't you? After Patrick Roberts and Abdullah Bar, I'm struggling to think who could play there.
11:45 So, yeah, it's funny, isn't it? Because the transfer window sort of dragged on for quite some time.
11:52 And it seems to always happen in January that things come to a head in the last sort of two or three days.
11:57 And I think that's what we're going to see. There might be some scrambling around for that position.
12:01 But, yeah, it's unfortunate that this has sort of come about because if he'd asked us really at the start of the season, right wing probably wasn't one of the positions we were really concerned about.
12:12 Maybe back up to Roberts. And let's actually get it right as well. Alex Pritchard's not really a right winger, is he?
12:18 He's more of a centre midfielder. Which is why in the summer Sunderland brought in Auchysh, Bellingham, Deck, because they expected Pritchard to leave.
12:27 And there is an argument that suggests that perhaps in the summer that Pritchard might have wanted a new challenge and then that bid didn't come around.
12:36 And that's actually why Sunderland brought in Auchysh and Deck. Who knows? But, you know, just back to the Pritchard thing.
12:44 We've brought Deck in who hasn't managed to contribute. We gave him a contract, but we haven't been able to sort one with Pritchard who's actually contributed.
12:52 So, yeah, it's a shame, a big shame.
12:56 I think it kind of shows as well that Sunderland, as you mentioned before, they've agreed deals with a lot of the younger players and given them kind of long term contracts.
13:03 So there is that reluctance to kind of give the older players, Pritchard's 30, to give them a long term deal.
13:08 We saw it as well with Danny Bart as well in the summer, was allowed to leave. And Guc and I was a bit younger. I think he's 27, isn't he?
13:14 I think that's a valid point. And perhaps sometimes it comes down, you know, to wage demands as well.
13:20 I think certain players will know the worth. I'm not saying that the likes of, you know, Dan Neil and Paterson and Ballard don't know the worth because they will.
13:27 They've been offered good deals and they'll have accepted them. But when you get a player like a Pritchard or a Stewart who knows that they can command a better wage elsewhere, it does leave Sunderland in a tough position.
13:37 You know, whether Sunderland should be competing with, you know, the likes of Southampton is a different matter just regarding Stewart because obviously they've got parachute payments.
13:46 But should Sunderland be able to compete with Birmingham City? I know they've just had new owners, but you would think yes, absolutely, if Kiril Luyidreifus is serious about this football club.
13:55 So it's very interesting to see how this plays out and it's an interesting subplot.
14:01 Well, sticking with the wingers, you mentioned Arsenal, Lonely, Charles, Sango, Junior.
14:07 There are a few kind of links linking him with Sunderland, that there's been a few clubs maybe interested in him and Sunderland maybe interested in a loan move.
14:16 When you looked at the bench on Saturday against Stoke, there were a lack of options there because Oshish was out with an illness and also Juisson Bennett looks set to move to Greece out on loan.
14:27 So as we mentioned there, there are...
14:29 Mateta as well. Mateta.
14:31 Mateta was absent with a knee injury. Beale saying that that's not too serious, but it wasn't well enough to be on the bench.
14:38 And that meant that then Tom Watson and Ben Crompton were promoted to the bench from the under 21 set up.
14:44 But Sunderland, with a kind of lack of depth on the bench, as we mentioned, Bennett could be going out to Greece on loan.
14:50 And also kind of reports have resurfaced about Jack Clark.
14:53 Now, Christian Speakman spoke to the media last week and kind of reiterated the fact that Sunderland are not in a position where they need to sell Clark.
15:02 The money kind of being banded around the figure around about 15 million with Lazio reportedly kind of making an approach for Clark.
15:10 But as Speakman said, Sunderland are not in a position where they are in a need where they need to sell.
15:16 Clark seems pretty content on Wearside, as he always seems to have been.
15:21 He's on the contract until 2026.
15:23 So it's not probably a deal that we'd expect to go through before Thursday's deadline.
15:28 And if it did, again, Sunderland would need a replacement for a key player who, again, I thought was their best player in Stoke on Saturday.
15:36 Yeah, I think in our comments about Clark, we'll always sort of asterix it and preface it with everything is subject to change in the last couple of days in the window, because you just never know, do you?
15:46 But at the moment, I feel quite relaxed about it in a sense that you touched on it, but he's under contract for two and a half years.
15:53 He's enjoying it at Sunderland. He's playing well. He's scoring.
15:56 He's had that experience of having a big money move previously and not working out.
16:01 Obviously, he was a lot younger then. He's probably more ready for a move now.
16:05 I just think it makes more sense to reassess this in the summer.
16:08 Let's be brutally honest. The contract situation is not going anywhere. It's a massive impasse.
16:14 There's no chance of that being signed, as I understand, at any time soon, really, unless Sunderland get promoted to the Premier League, in which they would be able to offer Premier League wages.
16:23 The wages Clark will have on the table, should bids be accepted from, say, West Ham or Lazio, will far outstrip anything Sunderland will be able to offer in the Championship.
16:34 So, a new contract is unlikely and it doesn't really feel like Jack Clark would go along the Alex Pritchard route.
16:42 You can never rule it out, obviously, but it doesn't feel like he would sort of down tools.
16:46 He seems to be happy. 13 goals this season. I think he got his third assist of the season as well. His numbers are fantastic.
16:53 But again, I think he signed Jack Clark on his permanent deal in the summer after he got promoted from League One.
17:02 So, he'll still be on that wage. Obviously, he signed a four-year deal as well, so he did know what he was getting into.
17:08 But he's probably thinking, and his camp's probably thinking, well, arguably one of the best players in the Championship at the moment.
17:14 Certainly one of the most productive at a great age. He should be earning more, so you can understand his sort of side of things as well.
17:23 But yeah, at the moment, I think there will be late interest. Obviously, there may even be those big Sky Sports news inducing yellow banner bids of people coming in for Jack Clark.
17:35 But unless it's a lot of money, I can't see it really happening.
17:39 And I do think in the minds of fans, certainly, it would be such a tough sell to Sunderland fans to sell Jack Clark now, given our over-reliance on him.
17:47 And if you sell him now, even if you sold him as we're speaking, how do you invest that money quickly into the squad?
17:56 It would present so many problems. And I actually think if we sold him in the next couple of days, it would signal season suicide.
18:03 I really do believe that. So, for me, he doesn't go anywhere this window.
18:09 But for Sunderland fans, don't hang your hat on that because you just never know in January.
18:16 But at the moment, I think the situation with Clark is that he doesn't go anywhere in January, but he's not signing a new contract either.
18:23 But Sunderland do have the security of that two and a half year deal.
18:26 Yeah, I agree. Certainly never say never, but I would be very surprised if Sunderland did sell Clark in the final few days of the transfer window.
18:33 Because as we've mentioned, they potentially already need a replacement for Pritchard. And then if you took Clark out of that as well...
18:39 Bennett's already on the way.
18:41 Bennett's already going on loan and that leaves a big hole, particularly when Clark is significantly Sunderland's top scorer.
18:48 That takes away a lot of their attacking play.
18:51 And again, Stoke as well. He was given Phil Smith's man of the match for the Echo and a lot of people thought it should have been Barr.
18:58 But without Jack Clark, those sort of goals probably wouldn't have happened. Obviously, he was instrumental in a couple of them.
19:04 And just as an aside, credit to Mason Birstow for making those runs, especially for Barr's goal.
19:09 I thought if Mason Birstow doesn't make those good runs, then perhaps that goal doesn't happen.
19:14 But yeah, I think Jack Clark's a brilliant player for Sunderland.
19:17 And if we're serious about this season and getting into the playoffs, you've got to keep him.
19:21 Michael Bill needs to keep him. Hopefully, you can keep him happy, keep him playing, keep him fit and keep him scoring.
19:26 But as you mentioned, if he did drop out of the side, things start to get very sticky.
19:31 Yeah, I think the situation could change in the summer if Sunderland don't go up.
19:35 I think at the minute now, Sunderland's still just outside the playoffs on goal difference.
19:40 So there's still a realistic chance that Sunderland could get in the playoffs and get promoted.
19:45 And Jack Clark's at a club in the championship where he's playing week in, week out. He's the main player.
19:50 Is he guaranteed to be a regular starter in the Premier League right now?
19:53 Still a lot of question marks over that. So I think for him, it makes sense to stay until at least the summer.
19:59 And then everyone kind of reassesses the situation. Sunderland may have a chance to,
20:03 will have a lot more of a chance to bring in a replacement if they do decide to to South Clark and get good money for him.
20:09 But I just think now, as you mentioned, it's too late, isn't it?
20:12 It is. And the thing is with Lazio as well, you know, I love the Italian leagues,
20:18 but with all respect to Italian football, it is very defensive, very defensive indeed.
20:23 Like to be a good attack and play over there, player over there, it does take a little bit more
20:27 because, you know, teams do sit in a low block, very, very defensively minded.
20:31 Would he get the space he's getting now? You know, obviously new country, new language.
20:35 I'm sure that Jack Clark would find a way because he's that type of player.
20:39 But, you know, that's another move if he went to Lazio.
20:43 I don't know where his head is at with it, but I'm sure he'd be compensated well.
20:48 But it would be, you know, without wanting to criticise him because I'm not, it sounds like I am, but I'm not.
20:54 But it would be hard to make that sort of move work, I think, to go over there, new language in January, hard to settle.
21:00 So I think it would be best served staying at Sunderland for the next six months and then reassess again in the summer.
21:07 Just another one while we're still on kind of attacking players.
21:12 Ahmad Diallo is a player that's kind of been spoken about a lot over the transfer window.
21:18 He was in the Manchester United squad to play Newport against on Sunday, was an unused substitute.
21:26 We know that Sunderland have been tracking his situation when Spiegelman spoke to the media on Thursday.
21:31 He said, you know, he's a player that we've still been tracking.
21:33 Obviously, he's a player that we'd want to sign after last season.
21:37 Not sure if that's going to be possible because it seems like Manchester United want to to keep him around for the second half of the season.
21:45 He's just back from an injury. But the fact that he's not even coming on in the FA Cup against Newport kind of leaves that question hanging there.
21:51 And maybe there's still a chance that if he does get loaned back out to a club in the championship, it seems that Sunderland is the club that he would prefer.
22:00 So still a bit of uncertainty there, but not completely ruled out.
22:04 And Sunderland do seem well placed if Manchester United do decide to loan Ahmad back out for the second half of this season.
22:10 Yeah, another interesting subplot.
22:12 I think we're all sort of daring to dream up whether Ahmad could find his way back to the north east.
22:18 It's really interesting. I couldn't believe that he didn't start against Newport, who are a League 2 side in the FA Cup for Manchester United.
22:24 Or even come off the bench.
22:25 Yeah, it's just when's he going to play if he's not going to play against Newport?
22:30 He was the best player in the championship last season, arguably, and he's not playing against Newport.
22:36 Obviously, he was ill for a little while, but surely if he's fit enough for the bench, he's fit enough for Eric ten Haag to start on XI.
22:43 Then he doesn't come on when Man United are 4-2 up, 3-2 up. It's very strange.
22:49 Then there was the aftermath on social media after the game where Ahmad liked a tweet sort of saying what I've just said, really.
22:56 If he's not going to play against Newport, when is he going to play?
22:59 That tweet was then swiftly unliked. I then saw a couple of Manchester United pages posting that somehow the message had got out there that it was a mistake and he's happy and all of this sort of stuff.
23:09 So, he's active on social media as Ahmad and the fire is probably going to be fuelled in the final days of the window.
23:16 Manchester United's stance to me seems pretty clear.
23:20 Obviously, there's the other right-winger they've got that does look like he's going to go out on loan.
23:25 Police Street, yeah.
23:26 Police Street. So, that probably means Ahmad's going to stay.
23:30 Again, we're not expecting him to come, but it's sort of like that Jack Clark situation as well.
23:36 It's like you asterisk it with 'there might be a chance' and I think that's what's going to keep Southern fans going.
23:43 I just can't see it happening at the moment. I would love for him to come back because he was so mesmeric last season.
23:48 But for me, I don't see how it happens now.
23:51 But we have been thrown that sort of glimmer of hope that if he's not going to play against Newport, then when is he going to play?
23:57 He came off the bench against Forest about a month ago, dropped out of the squad, missed the game against Wigan in the FA Cup because of illness, it was stated.
24:05 But yeah, he's a quality player and he needs to play games at his age as well.
24:10 My only worry is that if he does go out on loan and Manchester United do last minute decide to send him out on loan,
24:18 he could possibly potentially go to a lower league, sorry, a lower half Premier League club or he could find himself on the continent in a top European league because he is that good.
24:30 It does sound like if it was the championship, then it would be Sunderland.
24:34 You also have to caveat that with, I know Ahmad said that he wouldn't return to anybody but Sunderland, but you have to caveat that with,
24:41 can other clubs offer more in terms of wage contribution, a loan fee perhaps they would be able to.
24:47 So there's all that to consider, which makes it for me and people might not want to hear this, but it makes the chances slim.
24:53 But the door's still slightly ajar and that's what keeps us all going.
24:57 He'd be the perfect replacement, wouldn't he, if Pritchard does leave and then he comes in and he can play in that number 10 position.
25:03 This is just what Christian Spiegelman said on Thursday.
25:05 The situation with Ahmad is really clear.
25:08 We've got a really positive relationship with the boy and his people.
25:11 We've got a really positive relationship with Manchester United.
25:13 And I think everyone was really delighted on all sides with what happened last season.
25:17 Do we think he's a player that could come and improve our team?
25:20 Yes. Have we inquired about him? Yes. Have we kept in contact? Of course we have.
25:25 So as you say, leaving that door open, but it does look like kind of Manchester United wants to keep him.
25:32 So we'll keep an eye on that one.
25:35 One player that it does look like he's going to be signing for Sunderland is Leeds defender Leo Yelder.
25:42 He's a 20 year old left back.
25:44 Norway under 21s international looks like Sunderland are set to sign him on a permanent deal from Leeds on a long term contract.
25:52 And left back is a position that we've spoken about in recent weeks.
25:56 Sunderland do need to strengthen with injuries to Sirkin, to Alisay, to Niall Huggins.
26:02 Sunderland are short of options there.
26:04 They've happened to move Tryheam across to play a left back and bring Jenson Sealton right back.
26:09 So this seems like just an important kind of box to tick.
26:13 Bringing another left back, a young player on a kind of, who's got kind of chance to improve as we've seen.
26:19 Sunderland have made a lot of those kind of signings in the past.
26:21 So it looks like Sunderland are on their way to completing that deal.
26:24 And that kind of gets one box ticked in kind of Sunderland needing multiple signings before Thursday's deadline.
26:31 Yeah, I'm a big fan of this one.
26:33 I think it does, as you say, tick a lot of boxes.
26:36 I think Sunderland are going to pay a fee for him around seven figures.
26:40 I think I've seen it quoted from 1 million to 2 million, somewhere around that mark.
26:44 So they must rate him highly.
26:45 There's also reports from Norway saying that will be a four and a half year deal.
26:49 So they must be thinking of this transfer in terms of the long term.
26:52 As you say, with unfortunate injuries to Huggins and Söken, which will be long term,
26:58 obviously, Adji and Isi hopefully back in a couple of games, we do need cover at that left back spot.
27:03 And if he can play centre back all the better.
27:05 I think this is a really good sign for Sunderland, I think, if it works.
27:09 Because Trehume, for me, one of my favourite players at Sunderland this season, and last actually,
27:15 is a very competent left back and allows Clarke to do what he does.
27:21 But when you put Trehume on the right hand side, Sunderland's attack gains another outlet, in my opinion.
27:28 We've seen the past couple of games, Jenson Sealt, he's done well defensively.
27:32 Obviously, unfortunate to get the own goal against Stoke.
27:34 But I've liked what I've seen.
27:36 But he's very much a centre back playing at full back.
27:38 If we can get somebody in who can play left back, shove Hume back to right back,
27:43 then Ballard's got to have a suspension coming up because he's on nine yellow cards.
27:47 You can get Sealt back in it, it's centre back, and he can start playing there a little bit,
27:51 maybe in and out the side, coming off the bench, whatever.
27:54 So I think it does provide Sunderland with options, a little bit of balance.
27:58 It's not the most eye-catching of deals in the sense that we really need a number six in the midfield
28:04 and a striker as well, and as you mentioned, maybe even a right winger.
28:08 So it's not the sort of flashy deal that we all want to see.
28:13 But I think it's one in terms of squad composition that does make a lot of sense.
28:17 He looked OK against Sunderland last season when he was playing for Rotherham United on loan.
28:23 So he's got a little bit of championship experience, 13 games I think he's played.
28:28 So for me, yeah, Feyenoord makes a lot of sense.
28:32 Hopefully, I think the hope with him is that he can come in and be up to speed.
28:36 Obviously, he hasn't really played much for Leeds.
28:39 His last appearance was in the Carabao Cup against Salford a couple of months ago or a month ago,
28:43 whatever that was. So the worry would be it might take him a little bit of time,
28:47 but hopefully he's trained well and he can come in and slot in.
28:51 Yeah, I think that would be my concern. He's made just one appearance for Leeds this season,
28:55 which was on the opening day of the season against Cardiff, and he got hooked at half-time.
28:58 And then he's dropped back down to the under-21s, too, so clearly he's not been good enough to break into that Leeds squad.
29:04 Obviously, Leeds were competing in the Premier League last season.
29:07 Very, very good left-backs as well, Leeds do at the moment.
29:10 And Sam Byrom's kind of taken that position since Yelder dropped back out of the side.
29:15 But that would be kind of my concern, the fact that he's not kind of been considered regularly for a first-team spot at Leeds,
29:20 and he's dropped down to the under-21 side. And Sunderland and Leeds are two sides that,
29:25 although Leeds were in the Premier League last season, they're two teams that could end up in the playoffs
29:28 and are competing to go up. So we'll see what happens with that deal.
29:32 But certainly as a deal, that looks close.
29:35 I think we've mentioned most of the positions that Sunderland are kind of looking to strengthen in and out.
29:39 The one we haven't mentioned is up front, and we mentioned Mason Berstow earlier,
29:44 obviously getting his first goal of the season in the Stoke game.
29:48 Were some suggestions that maybe Chelsea could recall him this month?
29:52 I actually spoke to him after the game, and he said that his kind of focus has always been on Sunderland.
29:57 He's not considered going back to Chelsea, or that decision would rest with Chelsea anyway,
30:01 whether they recalled him. But he's kind of said his focus has always been on Sunderland.
30:05 Got back in the team on Saturday, which was his first start since the start of December.
30:11 We know that Sunderland have been looking to bring another striker in.
30:14 They were interested in Kiefer Moore, but it now looks like he's going to be staying at Bournemouth.
30:19 How much do you think Sunderland still need to bring in another striker,
30:23 or can they get away with having Berstow, Bellingham's played up front there this season,
30:29 Rooson obviously, and Meyendah and Hamier? Can they get away with that?
30:33 Do you see one of them coming good, or do you think if Sunderland are really serious about going up this season,
30:37 they still need to bring someone in?
30:39 I think Berstow and Rooson can contribute for Sunderland towards the back end of the season.
30:44 I really do believe that. But in terms of promotion, we saw it last season,
30:48 in terms of winning play-off games, marginal games, you do need depth,
30:53 you do need experience, and you do need a good striker.
30:57 Sunderland have lost a good striker in Ross Stewart, obviously he wasn't available towards the back end of last season.
31:02 Ellis Sims went as well in January, and you were relying on those three players,
31:07 Ahmad Roberts and Clark, to do the business.
31:10 Now, when you've got Ahmad Roberts and Clark, you can sort of say,
31:13 'Well, actually, we'll put Joe Gelhard up front, who did contribute reasonably well for Sunderland,
31:20 and this might be enough to get us promoted.'
31:22 Well, now we don't have Ahmad Roberts, who's obviously injured,
31:24 we don't know how well he's going to come back, so it's Clark carrying the baton by himself, isn't he?
31:29 So we've lost quality up front. So for me, you need to add quality.
31:32 Nothing against the lads that have come in, I'm hoping, and I think one of them will come good eventually,
31:37 that'll do Mason Berstow the world of good.
31:39 He's got great pedigree, I really like the way he moves, I really like the way he occupies opposition defenders.
31:45 As I mentioned earlier in the podcast, some of his runs actually help create Sunderland goals.
31:50 His confidence will be up now, can he hit the ground running? Hopefully, yeah,
31:54 but I think we all still think that Sunderland need that bit of experience.
31:58 It does look like it's going to be Kiefer Moore, but the problem is with that position we've talked about before
32:05 on the podcast, Joe, is that it's really, really hard to get a good experienced striker in January.
32:13 There's just not a lot of them. Goalscoring strikers are hard to come by.
32:16 It's the hardest part of the game for a reason. It's the most valuable commodity in the game for a reason.
32:21 I'm not trying to give the recruitment team an out because this has been a problem for quite some time now,
32:26 obviously, dating back, you know, coming on for two years really in terms of a Ross Stewart sort of backup and replacement.
32:34 So that Sunderland face challenges because they've got to do a deal in January, which is notoriously hard.
32:40 They might have to pay a premium. Is Kirilu Idreifus prepared to put his hand in his pocket?
32:45 We don't know. And, you know, with a player like Kiefer Moore as well, that does present challenges because like Alex Pritchard,
32:52 he's at a certain age where he's probably going to want a longer term deal.
32:55 Are Sunderland prepared to give him that, given his age and his profile?
33:00 You know, perhaps not. Could they do a loan deal with an option to buy?
33:04 Bournemouth look to me like they want to get his wages off the books permanently.
33:09 So I think there's probably a bit of brinkmanship involved in everybody sort of feeling,
33:14 you know, could Bournemouth get to the deadline and start to think, well, actually, right, OK,
33:19 we really need to get him off the books here. So, you know, we'll do a deal.
33:24 But it looks to me like that's a hard one to get over the line for Sunderland.
33:31 But the unfortunate thing is, is you're sort of looking around thinking, well, after Kiefer Moore, who's the next Sunderland striker,
33:37 or Sunderland target in terms of strikers that they could actually get? And it's a pretty sparse list.
33:43 I saw rumours of, you know, Gerry Yates going to Blackburn on loan.
33:48 He's only just gone to Swansea. I'm not saying that deal will definitely happen,
33:52 but that's sort of the market in which Sunderland are trying to fish in.
33:57 And it's so, so difficult. But as I say, the flip side of that is that Sunderland have actually had a rather long time to get this problem sorted.
34:05 There's also a lot of competition as well. I mean, if you look at kind of the other clubs that are looking for a striker, Ipswich,
34:09 for example, up there chasing automatic promotion and with George Hurst, looks like he's going to be out for the rest of the season.
34:15 So they need a striker to come in. We understand we're in for Kiefer Moore as well,
34:19 but they've not been able to get a deal over the line yet. It looks like they may do so.
34:23 But if they're struggling and they're looking to go up into the Premier League just to bring in a striker,
34:28 it just shows kind of the competition there and how tough it can be to bring in a striker at this stage,
34:34 especially now when we've only got a couple of days left until the end of the transfer window.
34:39 Just quickly as well, another player that has been on Sunderland's radar is Barnsley's Callum Styles,
34:45 a midfielder that could add competition in the middle for that central midfield spot.
34:51 Also has played at left back earlier in his career. He hasn't been in Barnsley's squad for the last two matchdays.
34:58 Barnsley lost 2-1 against Exeter on Saturday. Styles wasn't in the squad.
35:03 Their manager, Neil Collins, admitted last weekend that that was because of interest from elsewhere.
35:09 He then said at the weekend Styles missed out because of illness.
35:13 But we understand he's a player that's been on Sunderland's radar. Talks have taken place,
35:18 but Collins saying on Saturday that there's been no progress there and Styles is no closer to leaving the club.
35:25 That's another one to keep an eye out on in the final few days of the transfer window.
35:31 We'll wrap it up there. And you can listen to this as a podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.
35:38 Spotify, Apple, YouTube as well. We are also on Shots TV on channel 276, on free channel 276.
35:49 And we'll have all the latest transfer news over on the SFC section of the Sunderland Echo website ahead of Thursday's 11pm deadline.
35:57 We'll also have build up to Sunderland's game against Middlesbrough on Sunday at the Riverside Stadium.
36:03 So once again, thanks a lot for listening to the RAW podcast.
36:06 broadcast.