League One title-chasers Sunderland could face seeing Joel Lynch depart in the summer with Phil Parkinson’s side potentially needing a replacement.
Joel Lynch has struggled to settle since moving to Wearside, with his future at Sunderland looking increasingly uncertain according to the Chronicle.
Keeping clean sheets in eight League One games since the turn of the year, the Black Cats have built their promotion push on a solid defensive record.
Unfortunately for Lynch, his role in the revival has been limited thanks to an ill-timed rib injury.
The former QPR defender has played just one minute of football in Sunderland’s last eight games and, even before then, he had struggled to adapt to Phil Parkinson’s new, three-at-the-back system with Lynch hardly the most technically gifted centre-half in the game.
Lynch is due to become a free agent in the summer and, as reported by the Chronicle, the 32-year-old is struggling to settle in Black Cat country following his August move from London to the North East.
It seems unlikely, then, that the one-time Brighton, Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest powerhouse will still be wearing the iconic red and white stripes when the 2020/21 season kicks off – whenever that will be.
Sunderland could find themselves looking for defensive reinforcements in the transfer window with Bailey Wright only on loan from Bristol City, while Tommy Smith signed a short-term deal until the end of the campaign when arriving in the winter.
It remains to be seen, however, whether Sunderland will look to replace Lynch with another proven performer or whether they instead put their faith in Gateshead-born 20-year-old Brandon Taylor.
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