Sunderland deadline day RECAP: Cats complete double loan move, Will Grigg departs for Rotherham plus Jack Diamond joins Harrogate
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It brought the Black Cats’ summer arrivals upto nine, following the arrivals of Corry Evans, Callum Doyle, Alex Pritchard, Dennis Cirkin, Frederik Alves, Nathan Broadhead and Niall Huggins.
There were also a couple of departures on the final day of the window as Will Grigg and Jack Diamond left on loan.
Here’s how the day played out on Wearside.
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Sunderland AFC transfer deadline day RECAP
Key Events
- Sunderland have completed the signing of German winger Leon Dajaku on a season-long loan.
- Goalkeeper Ron-Thorbert Hoffman has also joined the club on loan.
- The transfer window will slam shut at 11pm tonight.
- Will Grigg has signed for Rotherham on loan
- Harrogate Town have re-signed Jack Diamond on loan.
The situation as it stands
Right then. With around three and a half hours to go until the deadline, here’s the situation as it stands.
On Bayern Munich duo: Sunderland have been in advanced talks for Bayern Munich youngsters Ron-Thorbert Hoffman and Leon Dajaku.
Goalkeeper Hoffman is expected to agree a contract extension with Bayern, before moving to Wearside on a season-long loan. The deal is expected to include a clause which would see Sunderland automatically sign the 22-year-old on a permanent deal should they win promotion.
Dajaku is expected to complete a permanent switch to Union Berlin, where he spent the second half of last season on loan. The plan is for him to join Sunderland immediately on loan, with the Black Cats having an option to buy at the end of the season.
On signing another full-back: Sunderland have been in talks with Arsenal youngster Ryan Alebiosu, but the deals for Hoffman and Dajaku could have consequences.
Johnson would like to sign another natural full-back but a deal is now looking less likely.
While there is not a cap on how many loan players Sunderland can sign, they can only name five in any one matchday squad.
Adding another loanee at full back would take Sunderland to six, and leave Johnson with a regular dilemma he will surely want to avoid.
On Will Grigg: The striker looks increasingly likely to leave Sunderland before tonight’s 11pm deadline, with Doncaster and Rotherham both trying to sign him.
Interestingly, we are now hearing the 30-year-old may leave on a permanent deal rather than on loan.
Diamond departs on loan
The deal has been confirmed.
Diamond has returned to Harrogate on loan, the club he helped win promotion from the National League in 2020.
The winger has told Harrogate’s website: “The move presented a good challenge for me, I’ve already done a lot here and finished off on a high when I left so the challenge now is to replicate what I have done.
“I grew a lot as a player in my last spell and was able to find consistency, all the lads helped me so much with advice.
“There’s no time in football to stay still, you have got to keep improving yourself so coming here on loan was a great option for me.”
An update on Will Grigg
Well it certainly looks like Will Grigg will be going somewhere before the deadline.
According to our sister title The Doncaster Free Press, Rovers are still in the running to sign the striker but are facing a tussle with South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United.
It’s been claimed Rotherham have joined the race to sign Grigg and tabled an offer for the forward which Doncaster have matched.
It also appears the striker could leave Sunderland on a permanent deal rather than on loan.
Harrogate jump the gun on Diamond deal
Around an hour ago, Harrogate Town posted a piece on their website saying they had completed the re-signing of Jack Diamond.
The piece has since been taken down. Looks like someone broke the embargo.
Thorbert-Hoffman and Dajaku in the UK
Sunderland are trying to push through a double loan deal before tonight’s 11pm deadline.
Former Sunderland defender joins Salford
Former Sunderland defender Donald Love has signed a one-year deal with League Two side Salford.
The 26-year-old left Wearside to join Shrewsbury in 2019.
Diamond set for loan move
We knew at the start of the day there was a good chance Jack Dimond would leave the club on loan, with multiple EFL clubs interested in the 21-year-old winger.
League Two side Harrogate Town, who Diamond helped win promotion from the National League in 2020, are one of those clubs, and according to Football Insider, the winger is set to re-sign for the Sulphurites.
Diamond signed a new three-year deal at Sunderland back in March.
Will Grigg latest
At the start of the day it appeared Doncaster were favourites to sign the out-of-favour Sunderland striker - and it looks like the deal could go down to the wire.
It’s understood Rovers remain keen on a deadline day swoop for Grigg, while our sister title The Doncaster Free Press report: “Further funds have been made available by the Doncaster Rovers board for Richie Wellens to complete his final two signings of the transfer window, the Free Press understands.
“A meeting was held on Tuesday morning to discuss the state of play for Rovers on deadline day.
“And there it was decided that additional funds would be handed to Wellens.”
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter Rob Staton has also tweeted that League One sides Charlton and Rotherham may be interested in the striker
