Exclusive:Florent Ghisolfi facing under-the-radar triple Sunderland contract decision after summer window closes
Florent Ghisolfi will have several contract calls to consider once Sunderland’s summer transfer window settles.
Sunderland’s contract management has been largely excellent in recent years, but three interesting calls on the distant horizon will require thought once the summer transfer window dust settles.
Reinildo Mandava and Luke O’Nien are both under contract until the summer of 2027. In normal circumstances, that would not feel especially urgent, but football rarely works like that. Once players move into the final 12 months of their deals, futures naturally become talking points. For Sunderland, the added layer is that both players occupy very different but important spaces within the squad.
Reinildo will be 33 by the time January comes around. He had a really strong first season at Sunderland, bringing the kind of experience, aggression and defensive know-how that the club needed following promotion. His campaign was not entirely straightforward in terms of rhythm, with AFCON, the odd suspension and one or two injuries restricting him to 25 appearances, but when available, he showed exactly why Sunderland moved for him.
The Black Cats are expected to strengthen at left-back this summer. That feels necessary regardless of Reinildo’s contract situation, because Sunderland need an understudy, proper competition and cover for a season that will include at least eight Europa League fixtures on top of the Premier League and domestic cups.
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That does not make Reinildo’s position simple, though. He has vast Champions League and European experience, and that could be hugely useful during Sunderland’s return to continental football. He has also shown no obvious signs of sharp regression. But he will be on significant wages, and by the time his contract expires, he will be approaching 34. That leaves Ghisolfi with a proper judgement call. Does Sunderland look to extend the stay of an experienced, proven and popular defender who can help the club through its next step? Or does the club allow the situation to run and prioritise succession planning in a position where age, wages and availability all have to be considered?
O’Nien is an equally fascinating case, albeit for different reasons. The 31-year-old’s deal also runs until next summer, though Sunderland hold an additional one-year club option. On paper, O’Nien made only 12 Premier League appearances last season. But that number does not come close to explaining his influence, contribution or importance around the football club. O’Nien remains one of Sunderland’s biggest personalities and most important cultural figures. His impact stretches from the first team all the way through to the under-18s and under-21s, where young players see someone who has built a career through professionalism, resilience and total commitment to the club. He is, in many ways, Mr Sunderland.
There is also still a footballing argument. O’Nien showed against Everton and Chelsea towards the back end of last season that he can still cope at Premier League level and even excel when the right structure is around him. He may no longer be a guaranteed starter every week, but Sunderland will have more games next season and will need players who understand the club, the standards and the dressing room.
O’Nien will turn 32 in November, but it still feels almost inconceivable to imagine him leaving Sunderland. Whenever he has been asked about his future, whether in January or at the end of the season, he has been categorical in saying that he wants to stay.
That does not remove the decision from Sunderland’s hands. Ghisolfi and the club’s decision-makers will still have to weigh age, squad space, wages, homegrown rules and the level O’Nien can realistically contribute across a Premier League and European campaign. But given his influence, versatility and contract option, the obvious question is whether Sunderland simply triggers the extra year when the time comes. These are not decisions that need to dominate the summer. Sunderland have more immediate transfer work to do first. But once the window closes and the squad picture becomes clearer, Reinildo and O’Nien will become two of the more interesting contract calls in the background.
Both have clear value. Both are experienced. Both helped Sunderland take another major step forward. But both are also moving into the stage of their contracts where sentiment, finance and squad planning begin to collide. How Ghisolfi handles those calls will tell us a little bit more about the balance Sunderland are trying to strike between loyalty, leadership and ruthless Premier League planning.
Simon Moore is another 2027 contract call that will be worth watching, even if his situation is very different to O’Nien and Reinildo. The experienced goalkeeper is not expected to play regularly for Sunderland, but his value inside the building should not be underestimated. His deal was extended because he is viewed as such a good influence around a young goalkeeping group, with Robin Roefs and Melker Ellborg both still only 23 and Anthony Patterson still relatively young in goalkeeping terms. Moore is understood to be working through his coaching badges and has become an important voice within Neil Cutler’s group. He can feed back from a player’s perspective, help the younger goalkeepers with the small details of training and preparation, and provide the kind of calm, experienced presence every modern goalkeeping department needs.
The question is what happens next summer. Moore is unlikely to be part of Sunderland’s long-term playing plans, but that does not automatically mean his time at the club has to end. Could he stay as a third or fourth-choice goalkeeper for another year? Could he move into a more formal coaching role? Or might he look elsewhere if he still wants to play? It is not the biggest contract decision Sunderland face, but it is an interesting one because Moore’s value is about far more than minutes on the pitch.