Sunderland had a fright on deadline day, with Brighton trying to sign Tommy Watson. He’s out of contract in 226 but the club are working on deals for two other players as well.
Brighton tried to sign Tommy Watson on deadline day, but got shunned by Sunderland who wouldn’t accept a £13million package for the academy star who’s played 10 times in the Championship this season.
Watson is one of a handful of key players who’s out of contract in 2026. Since deadline day, it’s been revealed that Sunderland will work on a new contract for Watson ahead of the summer, though right now focus is on the league.
Regis Le Bris has the Black Cats up in 4th place of the Championship table following a convincing 3-2 win over Middlesbrough in midweek, with the Black Cats going up against Watford on Saturday.
The summer could be a very busy one for the Black Cats if they’re promoted. But even if not, there’s some contract discussions to be had.
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Sunderland in contract talks with Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin
Two other players who are out of contract in 2026 are Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin. Both have had transfer interest in the last several months: Cirkin has been linked with Leeds United, then during the January window it was Everton and West Ham being linked with Neil.
But speaking to The Northern Echo, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has revealed that the club have already held discussions wit the pair about signing new deals, hinting that firm talks will likely wait until the summer.
Speakman said: “We’ve had those conversations with the guys. There’s no question over Dennis or Dan’s commitment to Sunderland. But I don’t think at the minute, it’s the right moment to be getting into too much of a conversation with them.
“That’s really just down to the short time period we’ve got to the summer. We’ve got so much to achieve, and we need to stay focused.”
Who else is out of contract at Sunderland in 2026?
The summer ahead is certainly poised to be a crucial one for Sunderland who may have to cash in on names like Watson, Cirkin and even Neil if they can’t agree on new deals.
Alarmingly for the Black Cats, there’s a fair few others out of contract in 2026 as well: Blondy Nna Noukeu, Simon Moore, Luke O’Nien, Joe Anderson, Niall Huggins, Patrick Roberts and Jewison Bennette all see their deals expire in 2026.
Some may be kept whilst others will surely be moved on before then, like Anderson and Bennette.
But Watson, Cirkin and Neil are certainly the pick of those out of contract in 2026. Securing new deals for them in the summer would be huge but it could also be dependent on securing promotion.