A Sunderland January target now looks set to join another Championship side.
Sunderland eventually had a quite positive January transfer window, bringing in all of Romaine Mundle, Leo Hjelde, and Callum Styles on permanent deals.
Michael Beale could’ve done with a new striker too, but on the whole it was a positive window.
And one player linked with a move to the Stadium of Light, or rather a return, was Yann M’Vila.
The 33-year-old one-time Sunderland loan man is still a free agent after being released by Olympiacos last summer, and reports last month claimed that the Black Cats wanted him.
Beale played down the rumours. But now it looks like M’Vila is set to join West Brom.
Yann M’Vila in advanced talks with West Brom
Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna has now revealed on X that M’Vila is in ‘advanced negotiations’ with Sunderland’s Championship rivals West Brom.
He adds that an agreement is ‘expected soon’ and that 22-time French international M’Vila is keen on making the move to The Hawthorns.
West Brom currently sit in 5th place of the Championship table compared to Sunderland in 8th, with just four points separating the two.
Boost for the Baggies, potential blow for Sunderland
As well as a striker, Sunderland could’ve done with a holding midfielder in January.
Styles may well be able to play that role, but he looks set to be deployed as a wing-back or a more advanced central mdfielder.
So someone like M’Vila could well have been useful for Beale in this second half of the season, but now it looks like he’ll become a useful player for Carlos Corberan over at West Brom.
M’Vila is a player with bags of experience on the international stage and around Europe too, with Sunderland fans seeing first-hand how good of a player he is, albeit back in the 2015/16 season.
So Sunderland fans will be hoping that M’Vila doesn’t give West Brom the extra edge they need to secure themselves a spot in the top six this season.
They’re currently ahead of Sunderland but they have a very thin squad and one or two injuries could really derail their season, but bringing in M’Vila adds some much-needed depth.
Sunderland and West Brom are due to meet at The Hawthorns in April in what could prove to be a crunch match in the promotion picture.