Dion Sanderson to Sunderland: How it happened, where he fits in and the big transfer question that remains

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In January the 20-year-old had been waiting for news of a possible loan move on Deadline Day, just as he was today.

Sanderson had long been one of Wolves' brightest U23 players and senior football was the obvious next step.

The phone didn't ring until 8pm and when it did, the destination was a pleasant surprise.

Dion Sanderson during his Cardiff City loan spell

He had never even been to Wales, but a Championship promotion race was a higher level than anyone had initially anticipated.

Sanderson had been signed as cover but quickly found himself in the team and was part of a side that made a strong start to life after lockdown, most notably when Marcelo Bielsa's exceptional Leeds United side were overrun in the Welsh capital.

It was some introduction into senior football.

By the end of the loan, Sanderson had lost his place and yet those encouraging first steps meant the expectation throughout this summer was that he would return to the Championship.

The Bluebirds retained an interest, though eventually opted to bring in Arsenal's Jordi Osei-Tutu.

There was interest from other second-tier teams and so there was surprise when news of Sunderland's interest broke. A deal only came on the radar when it became clear that those Championship moves would not be materialising.

It wasn't necessarily a deal Sunderland had seen coming, even if they had been well aware of his talent and potential availability for a loan, but they needed no invitation to act.

How it happened

Phil Parkinson had laid the ground for a quiet day in his press conference on Friday, stressing that the most likely solution to Sunderland's defensive woes was the arrival of a free agent next week.

The Black Cats boss was typically candid in spelling out the reasons for his relative pessimism.

There were loan targets on Parkinson's radar right at the beginning of the summer, even before the serious injuries suffered by Morgan Feeney and Arbenit Xhemajli.

Bailey Wright had been his key target, already settled and integrated into his defensive unit.

There was interest in some other established names but the salary cap changed everything and even when it became clear recently that he would have to return to the market, options were limited.

There were experienced players on the fringes of Championship squads who Parkinson felt would not only offer competition, but actively lift the standard of his squad.

The issue was that Sunderland, due to the salary cap (and the uncertainty surrounding an EFL bailout), could only offer to cover a fraction of their wages.

At that level of finance, most clubs were taking the view that they were as well off just holding on to the players in question.

In this hectic schedule, everyone is worried about injuries and disruption.

With a new window only ten weeks away, asking a player to stick around is hardly sending them into the wilderness.

Sanderson, clearly, was different.

At 20, he does not count towards the salary cap and clearly, at this stage of his career his is yet to reach anything like his full earning potential.

Financially it made sense in the current climate and there were good footballing reasons for it, too.

Where he fits in

First and foremost, Parkinson believes he is a quality player.

He has said throughout the summer that in every position, he would only add a loan player if he could realistically envisage them going straight into his starting XI and improving it.

This was particularly important when there are talented youngsters whose pathway he wants to protect.

It may not happen immediately, but Parkinson believes he has the ability to improve his side.

Exactly where is another question.

A left-sided defender was the ideal solution for Parkinson and Sanderson is not that by nature.

Sanderson is a right-sided player, most comfortable playing at wing-back or on the right of the back three.

The 20-year-old told Sunderland fans he loves tackling and defending, but he has pace to burn and is equally capable of bursting forward.

Indeed, it was an alternative to Matt Doherty that he first caught the eye of Wolves boss Nuno in pre-season 2019.

That will be of interest to Sunderland fans, particularly given the way Denver Hume spoke of watching Wolves with interest during lockdown, given the similar attacking responsibilities Nuno places on his wing-backs.

Sanderson's arrival is a boost for Parkinson, though it quite clearly leaves questions unanswered.

Though it may not always be the neatest of fits, he should have sufficient cover in his back three, and he will pleased to bring in more athleticism should there ever be an issue with the vitally important Luke O'Nien or Jordan Willis.

Any other business?

Cover for Hume, though, remains a glaring gap.

It is not yet clear whether Parkinson will still continue to assess the free agent market, and to what extent the Sanderson swoop has empited the club kitty.

Supporters will hope for a reinforcement, particularly given it is a position that has been vacant all summer.

Many fans had also hoped that Sunderland would make a late move for an attacking reinforcement.

This never seemed likely, with Parkinson hinting yesterday that he did not feel the loan options available were of superior quality to his current options.

As such, late links with Liverpool's Liam Millar did not stand up to much scrutiny.

It's a familiar debate on Wearside. Sunderland's striking options have the track record but not the current form, and there are concerns over a lack of variety.

Deadline day also passed without resolution to the Aiden McGeady saga.

There will be no comeback for the Irishman, in what is now a less than ideal stand-off for another ten weeks at least.

Only time will tell whether Sunderland have what they need, and whether they are indeed done after two deadline days.

A strange summer.

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