Hartlepool United man spotted alongside Stuart Harvey watching Sunderland v Leeds U21s ahead of potential transfers

Senior members at Hartlepool United were spotted in the vicinity of Sunderland figure Stuart Harvey on Monday evening.

Harvey, who performs the role of Sunderland’s head of recruitment, was in attendance at Eppleton in Hetton this week as the Black Cats’ under-21s side defeated Leeds United 3-0 in the Premier League 2. The club’s academy manager Robin Nicholls also watched the fixture.

Interestingly, though, Hartlepool United figure Joe Monks was also spotted at the game, with Sunderland fielding some of the best young talent in the North East. Monks is the head of operations at Pools, and his presence at Hetton to watch the Black Cats could be taken as a clear scouting mission with the non-leaguers looking for talent towards the end of the current campaign, and with one eye on the 2025-26 season.

Ironically, Pools distanced themselves from the signing of one of Sunderland’s brightest young talents, Harrison Jones, in January. Then-manager Lennie Lawrence ruled out a move despite the player’s camp intimating the attacking midfielder would be open to a move to the National League. The Black Cats also decided to keep the player as part of their wider senior squad.

Jones started as a false nine against Leeds United on Monday and captained the side to the win, scoring once and assisting once in the process. The 20-year-old is now regularly training with Régis Le Bris’ first-team squad and made his Championship debut against Sheffield Wednesday recently. Though, for the moment, Jones' short-term future remains on Wearside, a loan could be on the cards - either this season or next - should Sunderland decide to pull the trigger.

Jones’ midfield colleague, Ben Middlemas, enjoyed a decent loan spell with South Shields earlier this season and could be one to watch in terms of a potential temporary switch before the end of the season or following Sunderland’s pre-season campaign next summer. 17-year-old attacker Finn Geragusian also continues to impress for Graeme Murty’s 21s team, with the tall striker scoring twice on the night. However, a loan move at this early stage in his development is unlikely.

The Echo also understands that other non-league clubs aside from Hartlepool United scouted the game. Former Everton man Joe Anderson caught the eye of one unnamed outfit with his contract set to expire this summer, while former Kilmarnock loanee Oli Bainbridge was also mentioned by bosses scouting the game, though the pair may have higher destinations in mind given their current levels.

Pools are currently 14th in the National League, though the club has seen significant upheaval in recent weeks, with owner Raj Singh stepping down from his role as chairman with immediate effect just six days ago. An interim board will help oversee club operations and liaise with potential new owners.

Of the 11 permanent managerial appointments made under Singh, only promotion-winning boss Dave Challinor survived more than a year in the role, with recruitment at the club sometimes categorised as scattergun, making it hard to predict whether or not Pools’ scouting mission at Sunderland will bare fruit given the current instability within the club’s hierarchy.

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