Sunderland held firm in the January transfer window and refused to sell Tommy Watson, but the Black Cats will have to brace themselves for another approach in the summer.
As the January transfer window reached its final days, Tommy Watson quickly became the centre of attention for Sunderland with increasing Premier League interest in the winger.
Despite multiple reported attempts by Brighton to sign the youngster, Watson’s move to the Seagulls collapsed due to a number of reasons, with Sunderland’s determination to find a replacement the key stumbling block.
The Wearside club now want to give Watson a new contract, but that doesn’t mean the teenager will be sticking around, as other offers are expected to arrive in the summer.
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Brighton still want Tommy Watson, but they’ll pay less
According to the latest from Alan Nixon on Patreon, Brighton are planning to come back with a new offer for Watson at the end of the season, but the bad news is, the Seagulls will not be willing to pay as much as they were in January.
While Brighton were willing to pay £8.5m during the winter window, it is now thought the Premier League side have a “small number” in mind for the summer as they now have less of a need for the player given the calmer nature of the close-season transfer window.
Another factor in the estimation is the fact that Watson may not even be playing for Sunderland regularly from here on out. The youngster is due back in training this week, but now faces serious competition for his place in Regis Le Bris’ team.
The return of Romaine Mundle, twinned with Enzo Le Fee’s impressive displays out on the left, could leave Watson third in the pecking order for Sunderland now.
Should Sunderland have sold Tommy Watson in January?
While the January transfer window was a success for Sunderland in many ways, they may now live to regret that decision to stand firm and not sell Watson.
There were questions over Watson’s commitment to the club last month, leaving some fans conflicted on whether they actually wanted the player to stick around or not.
As happy as fans were to see Watson stay, some even suggested Sunderland should have taken the money on the table and reinvested it in the squad.
With a lower offer now expected in the summer, Sunderland may well have missed out on millions of pounds; money that could have made a massive difference to the club when it comes to building for next season, be it as a Premier League club or a Championship challenger.