Sunderland boss Alex Neil has indicated that a deal for Everton’s Premier League youngster Ellis Simms could be tied up before Sunday’s Championship opener against Coventry City, speaking to the Northern Echo.
As talks with Nathan Broadhead hit an impasse, Sunderland have turned their attention to another talented young centre-forward who probably needs to leave Goodison Park in search of regular first-team football.
The Echo claim that 21-year-old Simms is ‘close’ to joining Dan Ballard, Jack Clarke and Aji Alese at the Stadium of Light.
The England U20 international has reportedly made Sunderland his preferred destination, despite interest from former employers Hearts and Blackpool.
And while Neil was reluctant to mention Simms by name, he did suggest that Sunderland will have a new face in their squad before Coventry arrive on Wearside this weekend.
Ellis Simms leaving Everton for Sunderland
“Will there be someone in before Saturday? There’s every chance,” says Neil, who replaced Lee Johnson in February before guiding Sunderland to promotion.
“Might they be involved at the weekend? It would depend on how they looked.
“It depends how many days we get on the grass with them. For instance, if we managed to get someone training a couple of days prior to the game, then potentially we might put them in (the squad).
“It would depend on the position they play well, in terms of how much cover we’ve got in that area.
“It depends on how we’re going to go about the game too. So there’s a whole host of things that go into that. But I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.”
Simms has scored 17 goals in 46 games during loan spells at Hearts and Blackpool. It remains to be seen whether he can make the step up to Championship level, however, especially with Ross Stewart expected to remain Neil’s number one centre-forward.
According to Mirror reporter Darren Witcoop, Simms could be confirmed as a Sunderland player as early as Thursday.
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