Report: Sunderland in talks to sign player Bielsa said is ‘full of skill’; Championship club keen

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Sunderland are in talks to beat Hull City and Huddersfield Town to the signing of Leeds United midfielder Robbie Gotts, according to the Northern Echo.

The transfer window may have slammed shut across Europe on Monday night, but the smallest of cracks is scheduled to remain open until October 16.

Teams in the Football League have another fortnight to complete new signings of their own and, according to reports from the north east, a number clubs from the second and third tiers of English football are queuing up to land one of Leeds’ most talented youngsters.

20-year-old Gotts, a technically gifted midfielder who can also fill in at full-back, has admirers at Hull and Swindon Town.

Huddersfield coach Carlos Corberan is also hoping for a favour from his old mentor Marcelo Bielsa.

As it stands, however, a Sunderland side who have pulled off a series of impressive bargain signings in recent months are leading the race, having opened talks over a deal that would see Gotts swap Elland Road for the Stadium of Light on loan.

“It is true that I have a big respect for Gotts’ footballing abilities,” the legendary Bielsa told YEP recently, before adding via Leeds Live.

“He is a number eight. A midfielder, not defensive, a number eight. I have never seen a player play with such a dynamic. A player full of skill.”

Bielsa admitted that he felt ‘guilty’ about Gotts’ lack of first-team chances, having handed him just six minutes of football since the start of 2019/20.

A short-term spell at Sunderland, however, could be exactly what the Yorkshire-born dynamo needs as he looks to make the transition from academy football to the senior game.