Sunderland have been told that they could lose up to six players in January.
That’s according to Nick Barnes, who has warned the Black Cats that the ‘vultures will be circling’ around their key players.
Sunderland have spent less than £20 million on 20 permanent signings since they were promoted to the Championship last summer.
The Wearside outfit have spent maximum a few million on young, exciting prospects from some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain. And while they start of relatively unknown, Sunderland have transformed these young talents into players that will one day dazzle in the Premier League.
This means some brilliant football for Sunderland fans, but it also means plenty of interest from much bigger clubs.
With Jack Clarke having already been the subject of a number of bids from Burnley in the summer, there is no surprise that a further five clubs have joined the race for his signature.
While it seems unlikely that any Premier League side will be willing to pay £25 million plus for Clarke in January, Nick Barnes has warned that they could well face interest in some of their other most important stars.
Writing for Roker Report, Barnes said: “The bigger issue is going to be keeping hold of players. In my mind, there is no question Sunderland will be tested in January.
“Jack Clarke is unquestionably top of the list, but close behind the vultures will be circling around Dan Neil, Dan Ballard, Niall Huggins, Trai Hume, and Anthony Patterson for starters.”
Can Sunderland keep hold of Clarke & Co in January?
Sunderland‘s success since they came up to the Championship makes the interest in half the team not particularly surprising.
However, unlike in previous years, the Black Cats have set themselves up to handle situations like these.
Jack Clarke will be the trickiest to keep hold of, as we still push him to sign a new deal. But most of our key players have all signed new deals in the last six months or so, with Niall Huggins the only one who hasn’t.
Given their fresh terms and Sunderland’s current bid for promotion, it makes any successful bids in January very unlikely. Huggins seems unlikely to leave too, given his previous injury record and his only recent success.
Keep hold of Clarke, bring back Amad Diallo and bring in an experienced defensive midfielder, and January could be a success.