Sunderland are reportedly set to raid League One competitors Peterborough United to sign centre-back and captain Jack Baldwin.
After a month of speculation, it seems that Jack Baldwin is finally set to become a Sunderland player.
According to the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats have agreed a fee with Peterborough United to sign the 24-year-old centre-back with personal terms also understood to have been finalised. Baldwin, who Sky Sports believe is valued at £250,000, is expected to undergo a medical with the League One club on Friday.
But what sort of player will Sunderland be getting with the Peterborough captain?
“Jack Baldwin is the perfect professional,” Posh manager Steve Evans told the Peterborough Telegraph.
“I knew that when I placed him on the transfer list at the end of last season and nothing he’s done this summer has made my change my mind.
“Jack is a special man, but I had to make a decision for footballing reasons and I felt I could find better players. But he has been outstanding in pre-season both in training and in the games. He is still a great bloke to have around the training camp.”
Now, Sunderland fans can interpret this in one of two ways. Either that they are signing an influential leader who could make a big impact on and off the pitch – or that they are signing a defender deemed not good enough for the side that finished ninth in League One last season.
Either way, Baldwin looks set to arrive and compete for a place at centre-back with fellow new recruits Glenn Loovens, Alim Ozturk and Tom Flanagan.
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