Sunderland boss closes in on deal for former Coventry City defender Jordan Willis

Jack Ross is hoping to seal a deal for his top defensive target.
Coventry City defender Jordan Willis is close to joining SunderlandCoventry City defender Jordan Willis is close to joining Sunderland
Coventry City defender Jordan Willis is close to joining Sunderland

The Black Cats have agreed a deal for free agent Jordan Willis, who is on Wearside to put the final touches to a move and undergo a medical.

A deal would be a significant boost for Ross who identified the former Coventry City defender as one of his key targets for the summer. Willis had significant interest from the Championship but now seems to have opted for the switch to the Stadium of Light.

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Speaking after the pre-season win over South Shields, Ross confirmed that he was close to making an addition after an agreement was reached with Donald Love to end his three-year stay on Wearside.

“I am hopeful over the course of tomorrow we may add one in a defensive area,” he said.

“That will help us and strengthen us and bring in qualities that I have mentioned we were looking to identify.

“We have been patient and careful in our recruitment. Even the two we played tonight showed why they were signed.

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“With Donald leaving it has allowed us to move forward on one as well.”

“we’ve looked at increasing the strength and pace we had in our squad,” he said.

“We’ve got some good footballers but those two attributes are necessary I think not just in League One but throughout modern football.

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“We’ve tried to do that, we’re still trying to do that and it’s a key factor in what we do in the coming weeks until the end of August as well.”

24-year-old Willis has been a fixture in the Coventry City defence for a number of years now, and was offered improved terms by the club as his contract expired.

He left having made over 200 appearances for the club, playing a key role in an EFL Trophy win and scoring in the 2018 League Two play-off final win.