The 11 transfer deals that could still happen at Sunderland before the end of the January window

Tuesday was a busy day on Wearside as the club confirmed the loan departures of Arthur Masuaku and Dan Neil.

While it has been a quiet window thus far in terms of incomings, Sunderland still have business to do before the window closes at 7pm on Monday. Here, we run through all the deals that still remain in play…

Sunderland sign new goalkeeper and Anthony Patterson departs

Over the course of last weekend, it looked increasingly likely that Sunderland would bring in an new goalkeeper to support Robin Roefs, with Anthony Patterson then free to head out on loan. However, Bayer Leverkusen moved quickly to sign Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper and Sunderland target Jonas Omlin when they suffered an injury in their ranks. That has complicated matters somewhat as while Sunderland have been clear they won’t stand in Patterson’s way of regular football, they need to ensure they have adequate cover in case of an injury to Roefs. Millwall are interested in a deal to sign Patterson, where he would of course be reunited with former Black Cats boss Alex Neil. For that to happen, though, Sunderland need to find an alternative to Omlin.

An agreement with Millwall is not certain, either. Sunderland would ideally like a loan with a realistic chance of becoming a permanent deal in the summer that reflects Patterson’s value as a homegrown goalkeeper who has already accrued significant experience.

Patrick Roberts joins Birmingham City on permanent deal

Roberts joined Birmingham City on loan late in the summer transfer window, and has been a big success story in an up-and-down campaign for the Blues so far. Though they currently sit 13th in the table, they remain firmly in play-off contention and are eager to secure the future of one of their key players. Roberts is currently set to become a free agent in the summer, but Sunderland have the option to extend for a further year. They will almost certainly do that in order to secure a fee if required, but Blues boss Chris Davies has confirmed that the two clubs are in talks to come to an early agreement on a permanent move.

The deal has to be right but it would clearly be in the interest of all parties to get it wrapped up now and have clarity moving forward. Sunderland signing Roberts for a minimal initial fee but the success they enjoyed triggered additional payments to Man City, so they’ll want some level of return and especially given the winger’s importance to his new club.

Sunderland sign a new central midfielder

Coming into the transfer window, central midfield was seen as the position where Sunderland were most likely for recruit. The events of the past week have underlined why internally it was seen as the main priority, with Neil’s exit confirmed and Grant Xhaka’s injury leaving the club without a like-for-like replacement. Finding the right player to fit the gap is another matter entirely and sitting here right now, the most likely outcome is that Sunderland look to use Lutsharel Geertruida as cover for Xhaka until the situation can be revisited in the summer. Habib Diarra’s return also bolsters Le Bris’s options in the short term, even if that does likely mean Noah Sadiki dropping deeper. As Le Bris himself has said, Diarra really is like a new signing for the club this month.

Wilson Isidor joins Besiktas

Isidor’s future has unexpectedly become one of the key talking points as the window edges towards a conclusion. Do Sunderland want to lose Isidor? Ideally not, and Le Bris certainly doesn’t if it means he has to go through the rest of the campaign with just two strikers. The issue is that Isidor has understandably grown a little frustrated with his lack of game time, and there is a scenario in which Sunderland are presented with the opportunity to turn a significant profit on a player who right now is third choice. Besiktas are in the market to replace Tammy Abraham and a bid upwards of £15 million would present Sunderland with a dilemma. Is it likely? You’d have to say not, as finding an adequate replacement would at this stage be very challenging. It’s clearly one to watch very closely through the final days of the window.

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Sunderland sign a new winger

It’s a position where Le Bris’s current options have struggled to make the position their own, and so a new addition is possible. Again, however, the most likely scenario is Sunderland wait for the easier to navigate summer transfer window and lean on Bertrand Traore when he returns from injury in around a fortnight.

Ian Poveda and Abdoullah Ba depart

Sunderland have enjoyed a reasonable level of success in finding new clubs for the group of players who were informed at the start of the summer that they would not be part of Le Bris’s plans for the upcoming campaign. Joe Anderson and Jay Matete completed permanent exits to Barrow and MK Dons respectively, while Timothee Pembele has returned to Le Havre on loan. Ian Poveda and Abdoullah Ba are still assessing their options, and there is an added complication in that Sunderland have now used up all six of their international loan slots. That means the pair can only go on loan to another English club, or abroad on a permanent deal. It doesn’t make an exit impossible by any means but it does complicate matters.

Leo Hjelde departs on loan

Hjelde is fully recovered from a significant achilles injury and returned to the first-team squad over the festive period. With Sunderland’s Africa Cup of Nations players back, however, the club have significant defensive depth and a loan for Hjelde would surely be a positive outcome for the rest of the season.

Harrison Jones departs

Jones is in the final six months of his Sunderland contract, though the club do hold the option to extend for a further year. Jones has made huge strides over the last 18 months and is a very respected member of the first-team squad for his contributions in training, but needs regular senior football to prove himself. It was a bit of a surprise he didn’t go out on loan last Sumer and a solution will surely be found before the deadline closes on Monday.

Chris Rigg leaves on loan

Le Bris has confirmed that Sunderland haven’t ruled out a loan for Ring, though you would expect it is dependent on the club reinforcing their squad significantly in the coming days. Right now, that appears unlikely.

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