Phil Parkinson’s Black Cats were at their League One best with Bristol City loanee Bailey Wright in the XI – can he help them return to the Championship?
Sunderland are keen to sign Bristol City loanee Bailey Wright on a permanent basis when he becomes a free agent in the summer, according to the Sunderland Echo.
For the Black Cats, the indefinite postponement of the 2019/20 campaign might not have actually come at a bad time.
Sunderland had picked up just two points from their last four League One games before the global health crisis reared it’s ugly head, with Phil Parkinson’s side falling out of the play-off places as a result.
It is no coincidence that this recent slump coincided with the injury-enforced absence of Wright, who had made a huge impact at the Stadium of Light since his January move from Bristol City.
In fact, Sunderland won four out of five matches with the Australian international at centre-back – and then failed to win four out of five without him. By the time the campaign resumes, however, Wright should be fit again and raring to get going.
And, fortunately for Parkinson and co, everything points to a permanent deal when the transfer window swings open. The Echo claims that 27-year-old Wright has settled into life in the north east quite nicely, suggesting that he would not be against the idea of putting down his roots on Wearside.
Wright’s contract at Bristol City is due to expire in July too, meaning he will not take even a penny out of Sunderland’s summer budget – which is likely to be hit hard by the financial uncertainty casting a cloud over the entire global game.
So this feels like something of a no-brainer.
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