A player linked with a summer transfer move to Sunderland now looks set to sign a new deal with his current club.
Sunderland have only signed one new player this summer, bringing in goalkeeper Simon Moore on a free transfer following his release at Coventry City.
Several names were linked towards the end of the 2023/24 season, in which Sunderland finished in a disappointing 16th place, though transfer rumours took a backseat during the club’s managerial search.
Now with Regis Le Bris in place as the new head coach, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman can press on with transfer matters at the Stadium of Light.
He’s expected to bring in players with more Championship experience following last season’s struggles in the second tier.
But it already appears as though Sunderland might have missed out on a player who’s been linked with a summer move to Wearside.
Sunderland transfer target Chris Willock backed to sign new QPR contract
Chris Willock, 26, is technically a free agent after his QPR contract expired at the end of June.
Earlier in the summer, Willock was linked with a summer move to Sunderland after four years in West London.
But an emerging report from The Athletic now says that Willock ‘is in talks with QPR over a new contract’.
The same report adds that talks are currently ‘positive’ and that staying is Willock’s ‘preferred option’ right now.
Last season, former Arsenal youngster Willock scored four goals and assisted four more in 39 Championship outings for the R’s, who finished the campaign in 18th.
Sunderland may have dodged a bullet with Chris Willock
Willock has proven to be a very useful player in his four seasons at QPR. But there’s certainly a lot of question marks over his head.
Although he featured 39 times in the Championship last time round, he’s often struggled with injuries, and Sunderland certainly don’t need any more injured players on their books.
There’s also concerns about his consistency, with many QPR fans on social media highlighting his ability to play outstanding in one game, and then go missing in the next.
So for Speakman and Sunderland, not signing Willock this summer doesn’t seem like a huge blow. But his Championship experience is definitely something that Sunderland should look for in new players.
During the second half of last season, if Sunderland had players with 100, or 200+ Championship games to their name, their downfall might not have been so brutal.
Adding Championship experience is absolutely vital for Sunderland this summer.