Phil Smith's Sunderland Q&A: Transfer plans revealed, takeover and Stewart Donald update and season ticket concerns

Phil Smith has been answering questions from Echo readers in his latest Q&A with fans on everything from Lee Johnson’s plans in the transfer market this month, to the latest on the club’s takeover and what impact the injury situation will have at the Stadium of Light.

What transfer/loan targets would you be looking at this month?

Denver Hume potentially being out for two months means my priority right now would honestly be in that position.

Sunderland have plenty of players who can fill in there but I think a naturally left-footed and attacking option is needed.

Callum McFadzean has been steady since arriving but the fixture schedule is hectic and Hume is such an important part of Sunderland’s attacking threat.

Both Aiden McGeady and Elliot Embleton (and even Lynden Gooch) like to drift infield and that’s a real weapon if you have a full-back who can attack the space they create out wide.

It’s crucial Sunderland have that, particularly in those home games we have watched so often where they need to break down teams sitting deep, teams happy to take a point.

Steve Seddon is a player I’ve always rated when I’ve seen him play in this league, as an example of a natural left-back who can have an impact at his level. He’s 23, though, and the reality of the salary cap is that Sunderland will likely have to take a chance on an U21 player.

There’s an obvious need for another forward player, too.

Jack Diamond has brought some welcome drive, and I do think Lynden Gooch’s return is a real positive.

He’s always wanted to play in a more central area and I think he can help bring the other attacking players into the game in that ‘nine-and-a-half role’, particularly when Sunderland look to be moving towards a style that is considerably less direct than what we’ve seen at times.

The kind of player I think they’re still probably missing is someone who can play the role Ryan Longman (a 20-year-old loanee from Brighton) did when AFC Wimbledon visited the Stadium of Light not so long ago.

Longman missed a couple of really good chances to score, but was very dangerous in carrying the ball forward on the counter-attack and picking up space when Sunderland threw bodies forward.

I’ve no idea how consistent he’s been through the campaign but it struck me that night that he was the kind of player Sunderland don’t really have.

Brennan Johnson, on loan at Lincoln City from Nottingham Forest, is a similar example.

Which young players are worth a run in the first team and which players would you like to see go out on loan?

It definitely seems like a good opportunity for Anthony Patterson to go out on loan.

He’s a really talented goalkeeper but I think it’s a position where you need senior experience and once he has that under his belt, I think he’s got a really good chance of pushing for minutes at Sunderland.

I don’t think there’s much value in a loan for Elliot Embleton, to be honest.

Johnson has already ruled that out and I think that’s the right approach. Embleton has six months on his deal left and both parties just need to see now if he is going to make it at Sunderland. I think he’s got the quality to do just that, but it’s time for a proper run of games so a proper, fair judgement can be made.

I think Sunderland need him, he takes risks and can open up space in central areas, which is what the team have lacked for so much of the last two seasons.

Jack Diamond is now clearly too important to go out on loan, and I’m a bit torn on Dan Neil.

He needs regular football, but in the current climate Sunderland need cover and it might not be a bad thing for him to properly bed into the squad and get an understanding of what Johnson wants.

By the sounds of it, the ankle injury from the other night might mean a loan is off the table, anyway.

In the U23 group, it’s a balance between keeping the group strong for their league, and getting senior football for whoever needs it.

You wonder if Sunderland will be tempted, for example, to get Mitch Curry a loan and see how he fares in senior football.

Do you know what’s happening with season ticket refunds for those who didn’t take up the screening voucher offer?

To the best of my knowledge I’m not aware of any conclusion to that.

I think season tickets are going to be a really important issue for the new regime to handle, should they get EFL approval as expected.

Yes, supporters knew fine well when they signed up that they might miss a lot of games due to COVID-19, but there was a genuine expectation at that time that some fans would be in grounds from October onwards.

That this hasn’t happened is of course in no way Sunderland’s fault, but the financial contribution from season ticket holders has been absolutely huge and the club would have been in a really troubled position without it.

Fans want to help their club in any way they can, but it would be great if the new regime could come up with some really creative ways to show their appreciation for that loyalty.

And it’s very obviously imperative that those who need refunds can get them processed as efficiently as possible.

Is the takeover really happening? And if so are we any closer to knowing if Stewart Donald will leave the club completely? Should we be concerned Stewart Donald will remain on the board when the takeover goes through?

It’s still very much expected that the takeover will go through.

The EFL Owners’ & Directors’ Test is the final hurdle to clear and there is total confidence that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will pass.

Sunderland said when the deal was agreed that he did not expect to receive approval from the EFL until the middle of January at the earliest.

So I wouldn’t be concerned at all that there has been no confirmation yet.

As for the second part of the question, I don’t expect we’ll have any confirmation on exactly how the shareholding breaks down until that approval is granted from the EFL.

The expectation is that Louis-Dreyfus will take a majority shareholding, with the current ownership group all retaining a small number of shares.

It’s unclear whether Juan Sartori and Charlie Methven will have much involvement, but we have seen in recent times that Sartori’s priority is his political career in Uruguay.

Louis-Dreyfus will be the key figure and it would be a surprise if he did not bring in some trusted allies of his own. Remember that Neil Fox, who was essentially Donald’s right-hand at the club, left his position on the board just before the turn of the year.

As for Donald himself, I don’t expect him to have a place on the board.

He resigned as chairman last summer, recognition of the mistakes made in Madrox’s tenure and that his relationship with the fanbase had broken down beyond repair.

He has very obviously still been a key figure as the majority shareholder, but once that mantle passes to Louis-Dreyfus, the expectation is that Donald will become a silent partner.

There’s always going to be some concern given what has happened over the last two-and-a-half years when the change isn’t total.

I think that’s healthy and the onus on the new regime will be to show that this is going to be real change, with a genuine commitment to long-term growth.

Provide that, and you’ll be rewarded by a passionate and loyal fanbase.

I take some heart from the recent changes in the footballing structure, which Louis-Dreyfus supports and which has a much better long-term focus.

Of course, the proof will be in actions and not words and after the last couple of years, I think that’s the sensible approach to take.

Is Max Power going to right-back tied do you think with McLaughlin's injury and finding a new place for Winchester? Also could he be our long-term solution there?

It was very much out of necessity to begin with, as when McLaughlin was injured at half-time against Hull City, Oliver Younger was the only defensive option on the bench.

But it’s no coincidence that he stayed there for the Port Vale game, and I think it will be an extended experiment.

We spoke to Lee Johnson about this earlier in the week and he definitely sees him as a viable option in that position.

Johnson explained how at the beginning of the season Sunderland signed Power, then Wigan boss Paul Cook had lined up him to convert to right back.

The reason Power became available for Sunderland was that Cook then signed Reece James on loan from Chelsea. Within weeks it was clear that James was one of, if not the best, full-backs in the division.

I don’t think it’s a huge move in terms of what’s required within games. Especially at home against the teams lower in the division, the onus on the full-backs to provide an attacking threat and Power can do that. He’s got a good engine and he strikes the ball so cleanly, which means his crossing should be an asset.

As you point out, Carl Winchester’s arrival gives Johnson another option in the ‘eight’ position and means Power might not be needed in midfield.

Whether it’s a long-term solution though, I’m not totally convinced just yet.

Luke O’Nien will be fit soon and Johnson is going to assess whether he stays at right-back, or whether he is used in midfield.

I also think that Jordan Willis being fit makes either him or Dion Sanderson a really viable option at right-back. Both can get forward from wide, and both can add some pace when they play in the middle. With both of them in a four-man defence, you can potentially get a really nice balance.

I think we might see quite a few different variations as Johnson gets a proper run of games.

For now, though, it looks very much like Power’s position to lose.

With Danny Graham now injured Sunderland must surely now get a striker in this month?

First up, we don’t know how serious Graham’s injury is.

Johnson told us on Wednesday that the player himself didn’t feel it was a particularly bad one. At that point, the club were just weighing up whether he needed a scan or not.

It will definitely magnify the need for a striker if he does have an issue, though.

That would leave just Wyke and O’Brien as options while Grigg is also recovering from injury.

Johnson was already looking to recruit a new forward player anyway, though maybe one who plays in the slightly more withdrawn role as we’ve seen Lynden Gooch do in the last couple of games.

It’s not easy, though.

Players in that part of the pitch are the most expensive and Sunderland are very close to the salary cap limit.

Any injuries (like the one Grigg has) also makes it harder then to move on current players and create room that way.

THEN there is the added complication that moving on a player does not necessarily mean you get that full wage to spend under the complex salary cap rules.

It’s not just Sunderland affected by this. Lee Bowyer at Charlton has spoken about the problems this is causing him in the market and Rotherham boss Paul Warne highlighted it yesterday, discussing how hard Championship clubs are finding it to offload their fringe players to the lower leagues.

It’s why U21 players from Premier League academies (excluded from the cap) have been seen as the best option.

Johnson wants to be patient as many of these players are untested and he doesn’t want to make a mistake.

I expect Sunderland to sign another forward player before the window shuts and I think they need one, but the above outlines why we might need to be patient.

Papa John’s Trophy - waste of time or good chance of silverware?

The prospect of the final being played behind closed doors (that’s not confirmed, but hard to see it being any other way) makes you question the point of playing it this year, other than for the obvious financial reasons.

It would certainly feel like a pretty hollow victory if it was won at Wembley with no one there.

Having said that, I’ve always held the view that Sunderland at this level should be trying to win the league and win this trophy.

At the moment, it has the added bonus of giving Johnson the chance to rotate and freshen things up.

He seems pretty keen on winning it (he got Barnsley to the final but left before it was played) and I think that’s something to be relished.

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