Liam Kelly was a big hit in the Championship at Reading but he has struggled since moving to the Eredivisie; will League One Sunderland come to his rescue?
Former Reading midfielder Liam Kelly could be on his way back to England during the January transfer window with Sunderland set to offer the Feyenoord flop a much-needed escape route, according to the Sun.
It feels like light years ago that Kelly was being held aloft as one of the most exciting young talents in the Championship.
The diminutive play-maker enjoyed a superb breakthrough season in the blue and white of Reading during the 2016/17 campaign, helping a Royals side coached by Jaap Stam reach the play-off final, where they were beaten by Huddersfield Town at Wembley.
Kelly failed to build on that initial promise however and seized the chance to reunite with Stam at Dutch giants Feyenoord over the summer.
But with the former Manchester United centre-back walking away from the job in October after a miserable start to the season, Kelly has quickly become the forgotten man of Feyenoord. The 24-year-old has played just once all season in the Eredivisie.
According to The Sun, Phil Parkinson’s struggling Sunderland could come to his rescue with the January transfer window just days away - and he could be exactly what they are crying out for.
Speaking to Berkshire Live in 2017, Stam raved about Kelly’s potential and went as far as to compare him to Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta.
"It's not a bad name for Liam [to compare with] because he has certain qualities which Iniesta has,” he said. “Liam certainly comes close to him in what he can do and how he can play.”
This will be music to the ears of Sunderland fans. A dearth of cutting edge and creativity in the centre of the park continues to hold the Black Cats back with just seven goals in their last 11 games in all competitions.
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