Sunderland Must Swoop To Sign 6 Ft 2 “Rolls-Royce”

Sunderland’s season got here crashing to an finish earlier this month as they misplaced within the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs to Luton City.

Tony Mowbray was compelled to play Trai Hume, a full-back, and Luke O’Nien, a midfielder, in central defence in the course of the second leg as a consequence of accidents to Danny Batth and Daniel Ballard, so the function might now be on the membership’s summer time switch wishlist with a purpose to keep away from an analogous state of affairs in 2023/24.

With this in thoughts, the English head coach should revive Sunderland’s swoop to signal Dion Sanderson from Premier League facet Wolverhampton Wanderers, because the top-flight outfit are willing to money in on him within the upcoming switch window.

The Black Cats have reportedly saved shut tabs on the central defender, who was on mortgage on the Stadium of Mild in 2020/21, and attempted to snap the titan up previous to his mortgage transfer to Birmingham Metropolis final summer time.

How did Dion Sanderson carry out this season?

While at St. Andrew’s within the Championship, the 23-year-old colossus loved a strong marketing campaign within the second tier and he might are available as Ballard 2.0.

Black Cats sporting director Kristjaan Speakman snapped the Northern Irish centre-back up from Premier League facet Arsenal final summer time after he spent the 2021/22 season on mortgage at Millwall and the versatile 6 foot 2 titan has confirmed to be a wonderful signing for the membership.

Ballard averaged a Sofascore ranking of 6.95 throughout 19 appearances – rating seventh within the squad – and gained 62% of his duels within the league for Sunderland this time period. This reveals that the 23-year-old was in a position to hit the bottom operating and supply a strong presence on the again when he was in a position to play.

Mowbray and Speakman might repeat the blinder that was performed with the previous Arsenal prospect by signing Sanderson, who’s one other Premier League centre-back coming off the again of a very good mortgage spell within the second tier.

The ex-Black Cats loanee performed 31 occasions within the Championship for Birmingham in 22/23 and averaged a Sofascore ranking of 6.84 however it’s value considering that his workforce completed 16 factors behind Sunderland, ending seventeenth within the standings.

Enjoying alongside higher gamers on the Stadium of Mild might permit him to thrive in a profitable facet, as a substitute of struggling in an underperforming one.

Sanderson, who former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson as soon as hailed as a “Rolls-Royce“, additionally gained 54% of his particular person duels and has the power to carry his personal in bodily contests, which implies that the tank doesn’t get bullied by opposition forwards.

Due to this fact, Mowbray should revive the membership’s curiosity within the 6 foot 2 enforcer as he might present much-needed depth at centre-back and has the potential to be Ballard 2.0 in 23/24 by coming in as a confirmed, robust, Championship defender.