Sunderland have been very good in the transfer window in recent years.
Kyril-Louis Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman have done a brilliant job in bringing in the likes of Jack Clarke, Dan Ballard and Pierre Ekwah, while we have also managed to end the horrific spell of offloading promising youngsters on the cheap.
Sunderland’s transfers this summer were questioned heavily, especially when it got to the final week of the window and it sounded like just about every Tom, Dick and Harry were on their way out.
However, things weren’t too bad in the end. The Black Cats completed eleven signings and also offloaded a further ten players – some of which were hard to say goodbye to.
While fans have been mostly delighted by their new arrivals, we haven’t heard much about those that exited the club.
Here is how all 10 of Sunderland’s outgoings are doing so far this season…
Ross Stewart – Southampton
Ross Stewart’s departure was the most talked-about one, with the Scot securing a £10 million move to Southampton on deadline day.
Stewart hadn’t started a game for Sunderland since suffering an Achilles injury in January and is still on the road to recovery, hence why many people expected him to stay on Wearside.
Russell Martin confirmed last week that the striker would be involved with the senior team ‘very, very soon’ after being spotted back on the grass.
Stewart could make his Southampton debut by the end of the month and could replace Che Adams in their line-up.
Leon Dajaku – Hajduk Split
Leon Dajaku was one of few disappointing signings under Sunderland’s current ownership, scoring only four goals in 36 games in all competitions.
The forward has since joined Hajduk Split and has done quite well considering he has only played 116 minutes.
Dajaku has made six appearances from the bench for the Croatian team but has netted two goals, including a late winner over NK Varazdin.
Bailey Wright – Lion City Sailors
Bailey Wright fell out of favour following Sunderland’s promotion to the Championship.
After a brief loan spell at Rotherham United, the defender ended his time on Wearside by completing a move to Singapore’s Lion City Sailors.
Wright has made four appearances for the club and has netted twice, with the Sailors sat second in the league table.
Carl Winchester – Shrewsbury Town
Carl Winchester was loaned out to Shrewsbury Town last season and made his stay permanent in the summer.
The 30-year-old has been a regular in League One, though Salop have endured a difficult start to the campaign as they sit 19th in the table.
Winchester also plays alongside former Sunderland defender Tom Flanagan, as well as loanee Joe Anderson.
Joe Anderson – Shrewsbury Town
Joe Anderson managed only four appearances in the Championship before he was loaned out to Shrewsbury in the summer.
The centre-back has started eight of the club’s eleven games in the third tier so far this season.
Lynden Gooch – Stoke City
Lynden Gooch’s move to Stoke City was easily the most heartbreaking, after the full-back spent eleven years on Wearside.
Gooch reunited with Alex Neil in the Midlands and his versatility has already come in handy, making six appearances on either side of the defence.
The American has been absent in the Potters’ previous two games with an injury though.
Isaac Lihadji – Al-Duhail SC
Isaac Lihadji was highly-rated when he arrived in Sunderland from Lille in January.
However, his chances in the senior team were very limited and he secured a surprise move to Qatar in the summer.
The Frenchman has made seven appearances across the Qatar Stars League and the AFC Champions League, scoring once.
Lihadji is probably earning a lot more money in the Middle East and the club previously confirmed that we made a hefty fee from his exit too.
Danny Batth – Norwich
Many fans were disappointed to see Danny Batth leave in the summer after he was named our Player of the Year last season.
The defender was heavily linked with a move to QPR and Blackburn Rovers but eventually sealed a switch to Norwich.
Despite his brilliant 2022-23 campaign, Batth has been unable to replace the likes of Shaun Duffy and Ben Gibson in the Canaries’ backline and is yet to make his first start for the club.
Elliot Embleton – Derby County
Elliot Embleton returned from nine months on the sidelines in September and had already been sent out on loan by the time he was fully fit.
The midfielder made his debut for Derby County two weeks after completing the move and failed to make another appearance before he was sent back to Wearside after tearing his quadricep.
Embleton is expected to be out for another three to six months and won’t be returning to Pride Park, while it is unclear whether he will feature for Sunderland again as he approaches the end of his contract.
Alex Bass – AFC Wimbledon
Alex Bass made only one appearance for the senior team and also scored a last minute goal against Newcastle United U-21s before he left Sunderland on loan.
The goalkeeper has become the regular in between the sticks at Wimbledon, making 12 appearances in League Two.
Bass has five clean sheets to his name, with Wimbledon sat fourth in the league table.