Any Southampton switch should only be approved by Sunderland if a Man Utd trade is completed.
After all, the Black Cats had a very active summer, bringing in 11 new players, ten of whom signed long-term contracts.
| Sunderland – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Nazariy Rusyn | Zorya Lugansk | Permanent |
| Jenson Seelt | PSV | Permanent |
| Jobe Bellingham | Birmingham City | Permanent |
| Eliezer Mayenda | FC Sochaux | Permanent |
| Luis Semedo | Benfica B | Permanent |
| Nectarios Triantis | Central Coast | Permanent |
| Bradley Dack | Blackburn Rovers | Permanent |
| Timothee Pembele | PSG | Permanent |
| Adil Aouchiche | FC Lorient | Permanent |
| Nathan Bishop | Man United | Permanent |
| Mason Bustow | Chelsea | Loan |
However, a large number of players also left, with three leaving on loan and seven leaving permanently.
| Sunderland – 2023/24 Departures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed For | Loan/Permanent |
| Ross Stewart | Southampton | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Leon Dajaku | Hajduk Split | Permanent |
| Bailey Wright | LC Sailors | Permanent |
| Carl Winchester | Shrewsbury Town | Permanent |
| Lynden Gooch | Stoke City | Permanent |
| Isaac Lihadji | Al-Duhail SC | Permanent |
| Danny Batth | Norwich City | Permanent |
| Elliot Embleton | Derby County | Loan |
| Alex Bass | AFC Wimbledon | Loan |
| Joe Anderson | Shrewsbury Town | Loan |
The most well-known of these was Ross Stewart, who joined Championship rivals Southampton for an alleged £8 million deal with add-ons.
However, Stewart wasn’t the only Black Cats player that the Saints had their eye on throughout the summer.
Saints are interested in signing Patrick Roberts.
In fact, indications from the summer indicated Southampton was eager to complete a trade for Patrick Roberts, a wide player for Sunderland.
The move ultimately proved fruitless, but more lately, rumours have surfaced that the Saints are still keeping an eye on his circumstances.
Darren Witcoop claims that Roberts has received an offer for a new contract at Sunderland.
If Roberts’ departure is approved, Sunderland must make sure a deal with Manchester United is made.
Given the aforementioned, Roberts will only have six months remaining on his current contract in January, which means Southampton might aim to make an offer for the player.
It makes sense that Sunderland would try to capture Roberts during the January transfer window if he persists in refusing to accept the new contract he has been given.
But in order to accomplish this, they must first make sure that an agreement is in place for Man Utd’s Amad Diallo to return on loan.
Patrick Roberts, who has participated in 13 games this season but has not yet recorded a goal, is a vital member of Tony Mowbray’s team.
In fact, he more than makes up for his dearth of goals with his ability to dribble Sunderland up the pitch and his overall ingenuity and cunning on the game.
Sunderland really cannot afford to lose that, not without securing a worthy substitute.
Amad Diallo would undoubtedly be that, as we know from his time at Sunderland the previous season, and he could also produce the goals that Roberts’ game may have been lacking.
To put it bluntly, until a better alternative is found, Sunderland cannot afford to let Patrick Roberts go if Southampton’s interest resurfaces in January.
Those are extremely difficult to find at the championship level, but Amad Diallo would be a good match.
Thus, Sunderland has to make sure they have an agreement in place for the United talent before making any agreements with the Saints.
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