With Watford having only shown minimal interest in Didier Ndong, could Sunderland be stuck with him, Lamine Kone and Jack Rodwell?
Chris Coleman, manager of Sunderland, during The Emirates FA Cup Third Round match against Middlesbrough.
Chris Coleman has been battling against the odds to try and reinforce his Sunderland squad during the January transfer window.
With no funds to speak of other than those the Welshman can raise through the sale of current players, Coleman has brought in defender Jake Clarke-Salter on loan from Chelsea and signed Kazenga LuaLua on a free transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Kazaiah Sterling of Tottenham Hotspur and Jake Clarke-Salter of Chelsea in action during a Premier League 2 match.
The Black Cats have also sold James Vaughan to Wigan Athletic for a small fee and cancelled the contract of third choice goalkeeper Mika, while Lewis Grabban has been recalled from his loan by parent club Bournemouth.
The frustrating thing for Coleman must be that there are three players on significant contracts currently at the club that don’t even want to be there, but yet it is looking increasingly likely that they will not leave this month.
The Chronicle outlines that both Lamine Kone and Didier Ndong want to exit the Stadium Of Light, yet despite some interest from Watford in the latter – which the Hornets have failed to act on so far – no one else seems interested in the pair.
Didier Ndong of Sunderland and Callum Reilly of Bury in action during the Carabao Cup First Round match at Gigg Lane.
Then there is the curious case of Jack Rodwell, who told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview than he wanted to leave but would not walk away from his £70,000-a-week contract – which the Wearsiders had offered to tear up.
A proposed trial at Vitesse Arnhem was then over before it had even started when the Eredivisie club cancelled it, as reported by the Express, while Coleman told the Sunderland Echo; “Jack doesn’t want to play for Sunderland. He has told me that.”
Three unhappy players but no imminent departures, will they have any part to play in the latter half of the season should they all stay?
Jack Rodwell of Sunderland in action during the pre season friendly against Livingston.
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