Grant Leadbitter could reportedly make an emotional return to Sunderland this month with Championship outfit Boro keen to let him go.
Grant Leadbitter will always be held in high regard at Sunderland after graduating from the club’s academy and establishing himself as a first-team player at the Stadium of Light.
But that does not mean he would be welcomed back on Wearside with open arms as we enter the final week of the January transfer window.
With John Obi Mikel heading to Middlesbrough, reports all across the North East are claiming that Leadbitter is set to bid farewell to the Riverside with Sunderland interested in bringing him home.
The Northern Echo believe that The Black Cats are rivalling Championship trio Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City and Ipswich Town for his signature.
But is Leadbitter really what Sunderland need at a crucial point of their season? To put it simply; probably not.
Jack Ross can already call upon two tidy, reliable midfielders in Dylan McGeouch and Lee Cattermole. The supporters, then, would much rather see a powerful, aggressive and athletic central midfielder arrive rather than a player who turned 33 earlier this month.
This is no disrespect to Leadbitter – he just feels like the wrong man at the wrong time.
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