Sunderland journalist Michael Graham has given directions of how Kristjaan Speakman should approach interest in Tommy Watson.
With the end of the January transfer window nearing, Sunderland are set to be incredibly busy in the next 24 hours.
Incomings and departures will be expected, with one of the headlines being the uncertain future surrounding Sunderland winger Tommy Watson.
The 18-year-old has been injured in recent months, but showed incredible ability prior to the set-back, slotting in brilliantly for Romaine Mundle.
As a result of his qualities shown in his six starts for Sunderland in the Championship this season, he has racked up Premier League interest, with Brighton looking set to place a £10million bid, whilst Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are also looking at the attacker.
Because of the recent interest in the youngster, Sunderland journalist Michael Graham has given his views on how the deal should be approached by Kristjaan Speakman.
Michael Graham tells Sunderland how to approach Tommy Watson deal as ‘good fee’ must be considered
Watson has bagged two Championship goals this season, both of which came in the home win against Stoke City, and the Sunderland youngster has certainly shown his talents after being nurtured in the academy.
However, one important thing to note in Watson’s career so far is, whilst he has shown top levels of quality, six Championship starts can’t surely be a clear indicator of exactly where his career is set to take him.
This is a viewpoint taken up by Michael Graham, who, via X, responded to one fan that suggested they’d ‘personally let him go if this is his attitude’. Graham penned a response, which said: “Agree wholeheartedly with this. Watson has not been a reason we’ve done so well this season. Get a good fee, slap in a big sell-on, and get players who want to be here and buy into what we’re doing.”
Tommy Watson evaluation puts into perspective worth of top Black Cats talents
It is safe to say that, if a rarely utilised Watson is able to command an eight-figure fee from a Premier League side, then it truly puts into perspective just how much the likes of Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham could be worth.
Not only have both Sunderland midfielders shown their worth in regards to their abilities, which are currently head-and-shoulder above Watson’s, but also have the game-time to suggest that they are more than experienced at Championship level.
There is no denying that Rigg and Bellingham, because of the fact that Watson is likely to command a £10million bid for his services, could be worth up to £30million each, and that is a bare minimum for the Sunderland stars.