Sunderland's January transfer window: Assessing the potential departures that could happen

Lee Johnson has regularly had to turn to U23 players to complete his match day Sunderland squad of late, such has been the scale of the injury crisis at the club.

True enough, that will have improved by the time the January window opens, with Dennis Cirkin, Denver Hume and Corry Evans all expected to return over the festive period.

Johnson, though, has already been clear that he does not expect significant outgoing business.

Speaking last week, he said: “As a general rule, we’re obviously happy with our squad and we want to add, we don’t necessarily want to lose players, we want to add to our squad and make sure we come out of it stronger.”

Johnson was discussing the prospect of West Ham United potentially recalling Frederik Alves, which we mentioned in part one as a possibility in terms of outgoing business.

Beyond that, the departures are expected to be limited.

THE UNLIKELY DEPARTURES

There is certainly scope for movement, particularly in the category of players who will be entering the final six months of their contracts.

Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman has spoken of this squad rebuild being a three to four window process, and in the right circumstances they may well accept an acceleration of that in certain cases where the deal is right for all parties.

Given their regular status in the XI of late, Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan will have a key part to play in the second half of the season before their future is assessed.

Similarly, Lynden Gooch is about to enter the final six months of his deal but retains an integral place in the squad.

Johnson (and Speakman) would be loath to lose any of that trio, unless it was on terms hugely beneficial to the club overall.

In a couple of instances, though, there may be decisions to make…

ONE BIG DILEMMA FOR JOHNSON TO SETTLE

In the goalkeeping department, certainly, one exit is likely.

Anthony Patterson made a significant impression on loan at Notts County earlier this season, a key part of a strong run of form that boosted their promotion ambitions.

It was a loan that made sense for all parties, given the size of the club at National League level and the style of play under Ian Burchnall, who also has close ties with Sunderland goalkeeping coach David Preece (the pair worked together in Sweden).

A hip flexor problem for Lee Burge forced his return, though, and despite his return to fitness Patterson has retained his place in the matchday squad.

With six months left on his current deal, Burge may be tempted to look elsewhere for regular football if he feels Patterson has moved ahead for the foreseeable.

It’s a difficult dilemma for Sunderland, though, as they see Patterson very much as a long-term contender for the number one spot and so are eager to ensure he continues to get regular game time.

They held positive dialogue with Notts County at the time of his recall about a possible recall, and that remains a strong possibility at the turn of the year.

A QUESTION TO REVISIT

Another player entering the final six months of his deal is Aiden O’Brien, who almost left the club on deadline day last time around.

Then, Johnson told the versatile forward that although he did not want him to leave, he could not guarantee him regular football and that if he wanted that guarantee, it might be best to assess his options.

The Irishman did and opted to pursue a loan move to Doncaster Rovers, where he would not only play more but do so in his favoured central striking role.

The deal fell through due to a paperwork error, and injuries have meant that O’Brien has had a part to play since then.

If Johnson and Speakman move to again to strengthen the forward line, though, and if Jack Diamond and/or Josh Hawkes are recalled as discussed in part two, then the 28-year-old may again be forced to reassess his position.

Right now, the lack of depth in the squad means that Sunderland would surely not be able to sanction the departure of a dependable senior player but that could well change in the closing stages of the window.

Beyond that, potential departures are likely to be limited to decisions over the next steps for a number of U23 players.

THE U23 DECISIONS

Ollie Younger and Will Harris are two who right now are on the fringes of first-team action and have been impressing senior staff, but it is a distinct possibility that there will be no further cup games for Sunderland in the new year and should they recruit fairly extensively in January, it could be the right time for a loan to ensure that the encouraging progress made is built on in the second half of the season.

Sunderland may also have a decision to make on Benji Kimpioka.

After returning from an unproductive loan at Southend United Johnson threw down the gauntlet for the talented Swedish forward, urging him to earn his place in the senior set up.

He has responded with some encouraging U23 performances, and has played his first minutes in the senior set up for two years.

Those cameos have drawn some praise from Johnson, who has urged Kimpioka to make an impression in the next six months.

Where there could be a call to make is that Kimpioka is another heading into the last six months of his contract, and so another loan seems to make little sense for any party, and this will also be the last chance for the club to recoup a fee of substance for the 21-year-old.

That’s another call that could be guided by incoming business in the forward areas.

Read more:

Sunderland's January transfer window: Assessing the major Jack Diamond and Josh Hawkes dilemma - and what might happen

Sunderland's January transfer window: Assessing the priority positions and what incoming business will look like

Sunderland's January transfer window: Assessing the potential departures that could happen

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