Exclusive: Major Chris Mepham update as January state of play with Sunderland loans explained
Sunderland have some decisions to make with regards to loan deals in January but little movement overall is expected
Chris Mepham is set to complete the season at Sunderland as there is no recall clause in his loan from Bournemouth, The Echo has learned.
Mepham joined the Black Cats on deadline day in the summer and immediately made himself a fixture in the side, one of the most consistent performers in a side that has surpassed expectations to sit fourth in the Championship table at the turn of the year. His form has led to some concerns from Sunderland fans that the 27-year-old could be recalled by his parent club, but it's understood that there is no such mechanism in place. As such, a separate agreement would have to be struck.
Head coach Régis Le Bris hinted at having no concerns over such a development when discussing Mepham earlier in December, saying: "He's with us and I trust him for the second half of the season.”
Sunderland concluded a number of loan deals both incoming and outgoings over the course of the summer window, and little movement on those is expected over the course of the January window. Here, we explain the state of play with all of those either on loan at Sunderland, or loaned out to other clubs...
PLAYERS CURRENTLY ON LOAN AT THE CLUB
Sunderland have three loanees currently at the club and it's understood that there are no clauses that would allow their immediate recall in the January transfer window. Mepham and RC Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed are on straight season-long loan deals, and cannot be recalled without a separate agreement being struck with the approval of all parties. Mepham's contract at Bournemouth expires at the end of the current campaign, but he has previously confirmed that The Cherries have the option to extend for a further year.
Sunderland are hopeful that Samed will be able to make his debut later this month after returning to full training this week, and that he can have a significant impact on the second half of the campaign.
Wilson Isidor also has no recall clause, with Sunderland holding an option-to-buy clause as part of the loan deal struck with Zenit in the summer. It's understood that if Sunderland win promotion to the Premier League, that option becomes an obligation.
SUNDERLAND PLAYERS CURRENTLY OUT ON LOAN
Despite injuries to Chris Rigg and Alan Browne, it's understood that the return of any of Sunderland's midfielders currently out on loan is highly unlikely. Pierre Ekwah was loaned to St Etienne in the summer, and no recall clause was included as part of the deal. The Ligue 1 side paid a significant loan fee to conclude the deal, which in turn helped with Sunderland's incoming summer recruitment. They also agreed a fee with Sunderland to make the move permanent in the summer, should they wish. There were also no recall clauses included in the deals that saw Nectar Triantis and Jay Matete move on loan to Hibernian and Bolton Wanderers respectively. Both are playing regularly and in fact scored last weekend, and Sunderland are happy with their progress.
Similarly, Timothee Pembele and Luis Hemir were loaned out for the campaign with no recall clauses. Similar to Ekwah, there is a pre-agreed fee that Juve Next Gen can pay to sign Hemir permanently in the summer if they so desire.
That leaves Matty Young and Nathan Bishop as players who can be recalled if Sunderland wish to. In Young's case that is now considered to be highly unlikely as he recently established himself as Salford City's first-choice goalkeeper during a superb run of form in which they have conceded just one goal in seven games. Salford are now firmly in contention for promotion from League Two and that is seen as invaluable experience for an 18-year-old goalkeeper. Injury has limited Bishop to just four appearances at Wycombe Wanderers, and so it remains to be seen what Sunderland decide to do. In both of those cases, there is a window within which Sunderland must make their recall decisions.
Sunderland also have the option to recall young full back Oli Bainbridge from Kilmarnock should they wish to. He has eight appearances so far this season.