Sunderland could be about to agree to their first departure of the January transfer window.
Sunderland are yet to sign any players this month, despite heavy pressure on them to bolster positions such as up front, midfield and the left-back spot.
While there has been a lot of interest in some of their biggest stars in the likes of Anthony Patterson, Jack Clarke and Dan Neil, they have so far managed to keep all their players on Wearside too.
While that is certainly a relief, Sunderland may be more open to offering some of their fringe players a chance to leave the club in search of regular first team football.
The first player that could be on his way out is Jewison Bennette, with Sunderland Nation reporting that Scottish side Hibernian are interested in signing him on loan.
Jewison Bennette joined the club from his native Costa Rica in 2022 and looked a real hot prospect, making 15 appearances in his first season in the Championship and scoring a memorable equaliser against Watford.
However, he has since fallen down the pecking order at the Stadium of Light and has managed only one appearance in the second tier.
Bennette has made the bench on nine occasions and started the Carabao Cup defeat against Crewe Alexandra in August, but he has only featured for nine minutes in the Championship.
The teenager was yet to attract any real interest in January, but could now be on his way to Scotland to pick up some minutes for the remainder of the season. It is thought that Sunderland would like to see him stay in the UK so he can settle further and also continue to improve his English.
Does Jewison Bennette have a future at Sunderland?
Jewison Bennette showed glimpses of real talent at the start of his Sunderland career, but he hasn’t really displayed any signs of improvement since.
The winger doesn’t really look cut out for the Championship, but there is no doubting that he needs to spend some time away so we can see how much further he can develop.
While I understand wanting to keep him in the UK, I would actually be quite surprised if he was able to settle in Scotland. Bennette doesn’t seem fit for the physical, demanding football we play up north, while it will be even colder up there.
We have to let him leave this month though, otherwise I can see him wanting to leave permanently before long. I can’t see him becoming a first team regular anytime soon, and Sunderland are only going to keep bringing in more attackers to push him further out the door.
Bennette could well be one player we cut our losses in over the next couple of years, but we can at least try and get a few decent loan spells out of him to raise his price tag.