Sunderland supporters have experienced both the positives and the negatives of the loan market this season. Without the goals of Ellis Simms or the craft of Adam Diallo, it’s hard to imagine that Tony Mowbray’s side would have made such a splash back in the Championship, sitting one point outside the play-offs just seven months after breaking free of their League One prison.
But while the loan market gives second-tier clubs access to some of the most talented young players in the country – Mowbray also worked with Harvey Elliott at Blackburn Rovers before his emergence at Liverpool – relying on short-term, temporary deals can also create an unnerving sense of uncertainty.
Earlier this week, Everton triggered the re-call clause in Simms’ contract; Sunderland bidding a premature and frustrating farewell to second-highest goalscorer. Simms, in just 14 games, had found the net seven times, stepping up impressively during Ross Stewart’s injury-enforced absence.
Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag openly admitted to considering a similar approach with the sumptuous Diallo, before indicating that the £19 million signing from Atalanta would likely be allowed to stay on Wearside until the summer. Music to Mowbray’s ears, indeed.
Ellis Simms goes but Amad Diallo stays
The talismanic Diallo – labelled a ‘very special’ talent by his Black Cats boss – would be all-but irreplaceable. Finding a successor for Simms is no easy task either, though some of the strikers reportedly on Sunderland’s radar will keep hopes of a second successive promotion alive.
Sam Surridge, linked via the Daily Mail, scored seven times in seven starts as Nottingham Forest ended their near quarter-of-a-century absence from the Premier League last term. Physical, mobile and an emphatic finisher, Surridge possesses many of the attributes that made Simms such a hit at the Stadium of Light.
Ditto Jonson Clarke-Harris (Sport Illustrated). In 119 Peterborough United games, arguably the EFL’s most consistent marksman has 60 goals. Nathan Broadhead – a fans’ favourite at Sunderland following an excellent loan spell in 2021/22 – has also been linked with a return from Championship rivals Wigan Athletic.
Of all aforementioned trio, £2 million Surridge feels the most attainable. He’s struggling for game-time at a Nottingham Forest side already looking for more attacking additions. Clarke-Harris, meanwhile, is a talismanic presence at a Peterborough side aiming for promotion out of League One, and Broadhead is unlikely to be let go by relegation-threatened Wigan.
Mowbray ‘confident’ Ross Stewart will stay
Simms’ departure may have hit Sunderland hard but, in a massive boost to their hopes of a top-six berth, Mowbray insisted on Thursday that he expects top scorer Ross Stewart to stay beyond the January window.
“I’m confident (he’ll stick around),” Mowbray said of a forward who has ten goals in his last ten games. “I don’t think the phone is ringing off the hook at the moment. It’s great that he’s playing again and scoring lots of goals.”
On man who’s future looks a lot less certain, however, is Alex Pritchard. The former Brentford playmaker is a target for Norwich City and Alex Neil’s Stoke City (The Telegraph). What’s more, Pritchard is due to become a free-agent in July.
John Buckley, a player Mowbray knows well from his time at Ewood Park, may be a potentially inspired replacement. Buckley, a loan target for Sunderland (Alan Nixon), has been in and out of the Blackburn team this season. The 23-year-old could be tempted by a change of scenery.
A Scotland international at Sunderland
Another Sunderland target has already opened the door to a potential January move; Hibernian’s soon-to-be out-of-contract Scotland international Ryan Porteous keen to leave the Premiership after spending all of his career north of the border.
“I do like the idea of moving to a different league and testing myself there,” Porteous explains. “I think there’s a lot of boys that have left Scottish football and flourished. Whether that be down south or abroad. I do really like the idea of moving to a different league and challenging myself.
“I’ve been here for a long time. Maybe it comes to that stage in everyone’s career where you need to be taken out of your comfort zone. See a new challenge. Take that in your stride. And see how good you can become as a player.”
Porteous is a centre-back by trade but has shone as a deep-lying midfielder of late. He would represent a more natural centre-half option, if required, than the versatile Luke O’Nien.
With Sunderland taking a keen interest in the South American market, keep a close eye on two Chilean talents as well; 22-year-old Colo Colo enforcer Williams Alarcon and Paolo Guajardo, a winger with five goals in 12 games (El Portal Deportivo).
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