How Tommy Watson is feeling right now remains to be seen. The 18-year-old had an eventful deadline day, stuck between negotiating Brighton and Sunderland.
Tommy Watson saw a big money move to Premier League Brighton fall through on deadline day, keeping him at Sunderland for the remainder of the season at least.
The Black Cats academy gem was subject of a £13million bid from Brighton which Sunderland rejected, much to the delight of Sunderland fans who praised the club‘s readiness to keep their star players for the promotion push.
Watson’s transfer saga was arguably one of the biggest stories in the Championship on deadline day. It’s gotten plenty of fans and pundits talking, and now Marco Gabbiadini has weighed in with his verdict on the matter.
Marco Gabbiadini’s verdict on Tommy Watson after failed Brighton move
It doesn’t always work out for players moving from the Championship to the Premier League, especially so for players as young as Watson who often end up playing development football again.
Watson has a taste for senior football now. He’s made 10 Championship appearances for Sunderland and has two goals to his name, so playing development football again in 2024/25 wouldn’t have been ideal.
And speaking on Total Sport, Gabbiadini has urged Watson to think about the positives, which is getting game time at Sunderland.
He said: “It’s a fine balancing act these kinds of deals. The player trying to get some security in his career, and a deal at a big club that would probably change his life completely.
“But at the same time, where’s he going to play more minutes? I think it’ll definitely be at Sunderland, and that will be a real positive for him as well.”
When is Tommy Watson back from injury at Sunderland?
Speaking ahead of the Middlesbrough game, Regis Le Bris gave an injury update on Watson, saying that he’ll be back training on grass in around a week’s time from now.
Then it’s about getting back up to match speed. Watson has been out for several weeks and so it’s going to take a few training sessions for him to start to feel ready again.
But after the saga of the failed Brighton move, Watson surely returns with a point to prove to both Sunderland and Brighton. He could yet play a key role for the Black Cats in 2024/25.