Sunderland are battling League One rivals Wigan Athletic to sign out-of-favour centre-back Curtis Tilt from Rotherham United, according to the Sun (12 October, page 61).
Ten months after he left Blackpool for Yorkshire, the late-blooming 29-year-old is discovering the hard way that it is not all glitz and glamour at the New York Stadium.
Tilt has only played 60 minutes of football for the Millers since joining Rotherham in January, with his last appearance for the Championship outfit coming way back in March; before Paul Warne’s side were even promoted back to the second tier.
So it would be little surprise if the 29-year-old is hoping to secure a fresh start before Friday’s transfer deadline.
Fortunately, there are a couple of ambitious lower league clubs willing to offer Tilt a fresh start.
One is a Wigan side embarking on a substantial rebuilding project following the most heartbreaking of relegations and the other, Sunderland, already look well placed to challenge for a top-two place this season.
Should Tilt arrive at the Stadium of Light, he would only enhance a squad full of proven League One talent, from Danny Graham to Aiden O’Brien, Bailey Wright to Will Grigg.
Tilt, who was playing non-league football with Wrexham as recently as three years ago and was courted by Rangers in 2018, would also give Phil Parkinson some much-needed defensive cover.
Sunderland recently lost Morgan Feeney and Arbenit Xhemajli to potentially long-term injuries.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
