Sunderland have identified this Leicester City ace as a potential January option.
Michael Beale is yet to make his first new signing as Sunderland boss.
But there’s a growing number of reports linking players with a potential move to the Stadium of Light this month, including strikers Kieffer Moore and Sam Gallagher.
And a new name has now been linked with the Black Cats; Leicester City left-back Luke Thomas, who Sunderland Nation say is a loan target for Beale and co this month.
Sunderland lacking at left-back
Sunderland have just Aji Alese as a recognised option at left-back right now, following injuries to both Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins.
Once again, it lays out a balancing act for Sunderland who’ve had more than their share of injuries since returning to the Championship ahead of last season.
Sunderland Nation say that Sunderland are looking at other options but that the Black Cats are ‘very keen’ on Thomas, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Sheffield United.
Described as ‘top drawer’ by Spurs and England man James Maddison, the 22-year-old Thomas featured 12 times in the Premier League for the struggling Blades.
A product of the Foxes’ youth academy, Thomas has 68 Premier League appearances to his name.
Luke Thomas could be perfect stop-gap for Sunderland
Sunderland’s need for cover in the full-back department, specifically at left-back, is clear and obvious, and Thomas looks like a very viable option.
Leicester surely wouldn’t mind sending him to a top-six rival in Sunderland as the Foxes look like they already have the title in the bag.
And following his tough spell at the bottom end of the Premier League with Sheffield United, a subsequent loan move to the top end of the Championship looks like a logical next step.
Thomas could also be perfectly suited to this current Sunderland set up; as per Sofascore, he averaged 38.2 touches per game and 16.8 accurate passes per game, with more than half of those (9.2) in the opposition half, showcasing his ability as a more attacking-minded full-back.
But Thomas also recorded a fairly impressive 0.8 interceptions per game for United, also averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.8 clearances, and 3.3 recoveries, highlighting his ability to do the basics of defending, as well as attacking.
So for Beale who is trying to implement a new kind of attacking play at Sunderland, albeit with limited success so far, Thomas could not only add some much-needed cover and competition on the left, but a lot of quality too.