Sunderland’s Nectar Triantis was in discussions with Crystal Palace before his move to Wearside.
Austrian football news outlet, FTBL, has revealed that the Eagles held Zoom talks with the defender before the Black Cats snapped him up earlier this month.
Sunderland’s head of recruitment, Stuart Harvey, was ‘blown away’ by Triantis while watching Central Coast Mariners’ win over Adelaide United at the end of the season and immediately looked to convince him to move to the Stadium of Light.
Despite being targeted by Crystal Palace, Harvey and Tony Mowbray were able to host their own positive Zoom discussions and explained the club’s project in detail to the Australian.
Triantis also had offers from Stoke City, the Bundesliga and clubs in Denmark, Greece and Norway.
However, the Black Cats proved too tempting to turn down for the 20-year-old and he soon allegedly rejected a move to Selhurst Park in favour of Sunderland.
Is Sunderland a better option for young players than the Premier League?
It wasn’t long ago that Sunderland wouldn’t have had any chance of beating a Premier League team to a signing, however, it comes as no surprise these days.
The Stadium of Light has become a fortress for youth stars, with the likes of Jack Clarke, Daniel Ballard and Amad Diallo thriving last season.
Sunderland’s Nectar Triantis has clearly done his research into the success for youngsters at the club and seemingly sees it as a better option than Crystal Palace.
Given the impressive breakouts of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze at Selhurst Park, the Australian’s decision to join the Championship outfit is a huge compliment.
It is early days into the summer transfer window, but Triantis’s move to Sunderland is a perfect example of what fans can look forward to.
Despite missing out on promotion, players will see the club as the ideal destination to develop and eventually reach the top tier.
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