Tottenham transfer interest could be 'problem' for Sunderland star as 'flawless' Cats target hailed - round-up

Sunderland will be looking to bounce back from consecutive Championship defeats when they travel to face Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening.

The Black Cats endured a difficult few days last week, first losing to Leeds United in stoppage time before suffering an unexpected setback at the hands of relegation-threatened Hull City.

But as attention now turns to Hillsborough, here are a couple of the latest Sunderland-adjacent stories you might have missed over the past day or two...

Palmer questions Spurs interest in Isidor

Former England international Carlton Palmer has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur’s reported interest in Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor could represent a “problem” for the player were he to make a move to the capital.

The Frenchman has been a standout performer for Regis Le Bris’ side this term, and is currently the top scorer at the Stadium of Light for the 2024/25 campaign. Indeed, his output has supposedly been enough to attract the attention of a number of suitors, with the likes of Spurs, Leeds United, and Crystal Palace all mentioned as admirers by reports in recent days.

But of that three, Palmer is of the opinion that a move to North London would represent an issue for Isidor due to a lack of consistent first team opportunities. Speaking to Football League World, the pundit said: “Sunderland are in the driving seat, with long contract on many of these players. They can set the asking price for Isidor. Obviously, if you leave a football club you want to play. You want to look at how that club fits into your style of play.

“Spurs is a problem, because Spurs will be looking to spend big and bring big players in, so his game time would be limited. But Leeds and Crystal Palace – Crystal Palace we know, they sign good young players, they do well and eventually get sold on.

“Leeds getting promoted, that would be a fantastic move for them, for both parties, because he would get game time and he has shown his composure. Leeds will need quality to stay up, when they eventually do get promotion sealed.”

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Gürleyen praised for latest display

Elsewhere, reported Sunderland transfer target Ahmet Gürleyen has been praised for his impressive display in Hansa Rostock’s 1-0 victory over Dynamo Dresden at the weekend.

The centre-back been touted as a possible option at the heart of defence for the Black Cats in recent days, with suggestions that he could be available for as little as £414,000 this summer. At the time of writing, Gürleyen currently plies his trade in the German third tier, but is understood to be on the radar of a number of English Championship clubs, including Sunderland.

And if the Black Cats are monitoring his progress, they would likely have been impressed by his showing on Saturday. Gürleyen helped his side to a clean sheet against promotion hopefuls Dresden, and in doing so, earned a glowing review from local outlet Ostsee Zeitung. They said: “Was almost flawless in the game. He shut out Dynamo’s top scorer [Christoph] Daferner and was always close to him. He was injured in the middle of the second half and had to go off.”

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