How Sunderland can benefit from Manchester United, Leeds and Everton deals in summer transfer window

Of the 22 players who started last week’s Championship play-off final between Luton and Coventry, six of them (27%) had been signed on loan - predominantly from Premier League clubs.

Marvelous Nakamba, Cody Drameh and goalkeeper Ethan Horvath were all big parts of Luton’s promotion campaign, while Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Luke McNally and Callum Doyle all became regular starters for the Sky Blues.

Looking at other teams which excelled during the 2022/23 season, champions Burnley had four loan players who started at least 29 league games each (Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Nathan Tella, Ian Maatsen and Jordan Beyer), while second-place Sheffield United benefitted from taking Manchester City duo James McAtee and Tommy Doyle on temporary deals.

Sunderland also fall into the category of Championship clubs who used the loan system effectively, acquiring the services of Amad, Edouard Michut, Joe Gelhardt and Ellis Simms.

With Simms we may have been reminded about the potential flaws when signing players on loan, after the 22-year-old was abruptly recalled by Everton in January and left the Black Cats short of attacking options.

Still, that probably said more about The Toffees’ desperate position rather than Sunderland’s transfer approach, while a return to Merseyside didn’t appear to suit a player who started just two league games in the second half of the campaign.

On the flip side, while it would be favourable to sign players on permanent deals, the loan market allowed Sunderland to acquire a talent like Amad, who would otherwise be unattainable after costing Manchester United for a reported £19million, plus a further £18.2million in add-ons, in 2021.

The 20-year-old’s skill and match-winning ability helped Tony Mowbray’s side make an unlikely charge into the play-offs, while reinforcing the point that Sunderland is now a place where young players can flourish or get their careers back on track.

Before moving to Wearside, Amad had struggled during a loan spell at Rangers as doubts began to grow. This season his confidence has been restored.

With the highest average attendances in the Championship (39,328 for the 2022/23 season), Sunderland offers a Premier League-type environment for top-tier clubs to send their up-and-coming prospects.

It’s also been shown that young players, including those on loan, will receive opportunities on Wearside. According to Wyscout, the Black Cats’ squad had the second lowest average age in the second tier this season (24.6) behind only Blackburn (24.5).

On an individual level, Simms was clearly benefiting from playing regularly at Sunderland, scoring seven goals in 17 Championship appearances, while Michut, 20, made significant progress while adapting to the demands of senior football.

Even Gelhardt, who admitted it was challenging leading the line by himself in the absence of Ross Stewart, was able to start 12 successive senior games for the first time in his career, and looks set to be a big part of Leeds’ attempts to win promotion back to the Premier League.

Looking further back, the likes of Nathan Broadhead, Callum Doyle and Jack Clarke (who then signed for Sunderland permanently) have all progressed during loan spells at the Stadium of Light.

The aforementioned deals should help Sunderland when looking to sign young talent from top-flight clubs this summer, with the Black Cats looking to gain that additional edge.