Trai Hume issues 45-word verdict on summer transfer speculation that Sunderland fans will love
The Sunderland defender has all but ruled out a move in the summer transfer window
Trai Hume says he is happy at Sunderland, a club he loves, amid speculation linking him with a potential move away from the club in the summer transfer window.
Hume’s brilliant form in Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League has not gone unnoticed, with Sky Sports reporting earlier this week that Wolves, Everton and clubs in La Liga could be interested in a summer move.
The right back is under contract until 2027, while Sunderland have the option to extend for a further year. The Black Cats would be highly reluctant to lose one of their key players ahead of their top-tier return and so Hume’s comments while on international duty with Northern Ireland would look to put a swift end to that speculation.
"I've said it ever since I moved to Sunderland, I really love my football here," he told BBC Northern Ireland.
"I love playing. I love the club, I'm happy where I'm at and if anything happens it's from the club. I love playing for Sunderland so I'm happy being there."
Hume reflected on the club’s triumphant play-off campaign, highlighting the togetherness of the team across three challenging games.
"We didn't dominate both games, we had to dig in and we had to stay strong as a team and stick together," added Hume.
"Personally, that's the way I like to win games. I like to do it together as a team and you have to work hard to earn that. We worked as hard as we could, and to get those two late goals there was relief, joy and all the emotions you can think of really."
Kristjaan Speakman on Sunderland’s summer transfer plan
Hume is one of a number of players Sunderland are backing to make the step up to the Premier League, with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman stressing the importance of adding some additional quality and competition in the summer transfer window.
“We feel we've got loads of talented players and it's on them to come back for pre-season in the best condition possible to be able to play Premier League football, and our challenge is to then build the right balance from there,” Speakman said.
“We'll obviously be signing new players into the team, to ensure that we have a Premier League that can be competitive. We did add Championship experience when we stepped up, and they helped us on and off the pitch.
“The solutions are always different. In our context, from a footballing perspective, you're moving up two or three leagues really in terms of the level. So we need to make sure that we have the right level of player in the team, with the right game experience. We're acutely aware of that, we want to retain our principles and values, but sometimes of course you have to tweak the needle a little bit. You have to fully understand the environment you're going into. We were able to sign some players who we felt could adapt to the EFL, some people questioned us but thankfully we were proved right with some many of those players.. that Chris Rigg could play, Jobe Bellingham could play, Romaine Mundle could play. We have to make sure we can apply the same principle to the next league, but it doesn't necessarily mean they'll have the same background [Premier League experience].”
Your next Sunderland read: Sunderland transfer boss Kristjaan Speakman sets out summer strategy and what fans can expect