Sunderland missed out on Jan Paul van Hecke

Sunderland had been very near signing Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke in the course of the summer time switch window, and the Championship membership could remorse not bringing him in after their latest spate of accidents.

Van Hecke seemed set to affix the Black Cats on mortgage earlier than Alex Neil’s departure threw his future into doubt, with Graham Potter confirming late on within the switch window that the participant would stay on the Amex Stadium.

To make issues worse, Potter has now joined Chelsea, so the 22-year-old could not even get game-time below whoever takes over because the Seagulls’ new supervisor. Contemplating Sunderland’s present damage issues, Van Hecke might have been a really helpful participant to have on the Stadium of Gentle.

Daniel Ballard, a summer time signing from Arsenal, is a long-term absentee after fracturing his foot earlier within the marketing campaign, whereas Dennis Cirkin additionally came off injured within the defeat in opposition to Middlesbrough earlier this week.

This leaves simply Bailey Wright, Danny Batth and Aji Alese obtainable as centre-back choices, with the latter yet to start a league game since his summer time transfer from West Ham.

Tony Mowbray has up to now lined up with a three-at-the-back formation, which means that Alese might quickly make his league debut.

Ought to Sunderland have signed Van Hecke?

Alternatively, one other participant could also be performed out of place whereas Cirkin and Ballard get better from their accidents, which additional emphasises {that a} participant of Van Hecke’s expertise would have been very helpful.

The Dutch defender spent final season on mortgage with Blackburn Rovers within the Championship, the place he made 31 appearances, averaging a stable 6.90 score from WhoScored for his performances.

Mowbray was a giant fan of the centre-back and even in contrast him to England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore, saying: “I’ve obtained to watch out I don’t overbuild him as he’s not our participant. However he seems to be like Bobby Moore on the market generally. It’s wonderful to observe how composed, how calm he will be, but he has the fireplace of a warrior in his stomach.”

The 58-year-old certainly would have cherished to have a participant of Van Hecke’s high quality on the Stadium of Gentle this season, and contemplating that Ballard and Cirkin are at present sidelined, the Black Cats boss have to be wishing that Sunderland had introduced within the Dutchman earlier than the switch deadline.