Régis Le Bris rules out £3.5m player transfer but admits several Sunderland men could leave in January
Régis Le Bris was quizzed about Sunderland’s potential outgoing transfers ahead of the January window
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has ruled out a loan move for Milan Aleksic during the winter transfer window.
The Serbian midfielder was a significant investment on deadline day for Sunderland, who beat off stiff competition from across Europe to sign the 19-year-old for a fee believed to be around £3.5million. Aleksic has been a regular in the matchday squad ever since but has only made one appearance off the bench against Millwall.
Le Bris, however, has ruled out a loan move for Aleksic during the upcoming January transfer window and insisted the midfielder needed time to adapt to the environment at Sunderland and learn English following his move to the United Kingdom last summer.
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“For every player, we will have a specific assessment,” Le Bris said when asked about potential outgoings in January. “Probably, for Milan, he still needs to be part of the environment here. He was in Serbia before, now he is here learning English and he needs to continue with that.
“He is also learning a new style of football. He has many good qualities, and probably spending more time with us is the best option for him. We will see,” Le Bris concluded ahead of Sunderland’s clash against Bristol City in the Championship at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday evening.
Le Bris, however, seemed to leave the door open for fringe trio Abdoullah Ba, Adil Aouchiche, and Nazariy Rusyn to leave the club during the winter window should a decent opportunity arise. However, Sunderland’s head coach also pointed towards the balance of his squad as a factor in the decision-making process.
“There are players who haven’t really been involved who could maybe leave in January,” Le Bris admitted. “If you don’t have the opportunity to play, and you have an option with another club that is good for your development, then sometimes that is a good option to take and move on. We will see what happens.
“We have to be mindful of the balance of the team and the squad. You need to have subs who have the right mindset, even if they don’t play a lot. You need players who are always available, good in training sessions and positive on the bench. That is very important, and then you also have to remember that all of the players have a contract. That is another factor. But the players need to play, and you need a squad that has the right dynamic.”
In other Sunderland-related news, Le Bris offered an update on striker Wilson Isidor ahead of the game against Bristol City in the Championship after the striker was subbed with a minor injury during the clash against Stoke City. Le Bris also spoke about the fitness situations of Patrick Roberts and Luke O’Nien, with the pair having suffered from illness over the past week.