League One Sunderland could reportedly lose Duncan Watmore and Lyden Gooch to Jonathan Woodgate’s Championship outfit Middlesbrough.
Sunderland could lose Duncan Watmore and Lynden Gooch to arch-rivals Middlesbrough this summer if Phil Parkinson fails to lead the Black Cats back to the Championship, according to TEAMtalk.
As if Parkinson wasn’t under enough pressure, with Sunderland desperately hoping to avoid a third season in the third tier, it seems that the future of two fans’ favourites are tied into whether promotion can be obtained.
Academy graduates Watmore and Gooch are both facing uncertain futures at the Stadium of Light with TEAMtalk claiming that the Wearsiders would struggle to fund their wages if they are forced to spend another year in League One.
And Middlesbrough are watching closely.
The club based just 30 miles south of Sunderland are already rather unpopular amongst the Stadium of Light fanbase. And it’s fair to say the prospect of Watmore and Gooch lining up at the Riverside next season doesn’t bare thinking about for those of a red and white persuasion.
Watmore, U21 Premier League Player of the Year in 2015, is set to become a free agent in July as it stands so Sunderland will be powerless to prevent his departure. USA international Gooch, meanwhile, has been one of the Black Cats star performers in 2019/20 with ten goals in 33 games from the wing.
Middlesbrough have already snapped up one Sunderland youngster this year, snapping up teenage left-back Williams Kokolo in March. Could they be about to repeat the trick twice more?
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