West Brom boss makes striker decision as Sunderland confirm deal

Sunderland are now preparing for another tricky outing, facing playoff-bound West Brom on Saturday. The Black Cats have picked up two points from form teams Bristol City and Leeds United recently, and they will hope to add to their tally again this weekend.

The Black Cats have seen their season tail off significantly, and they now face a battle to finish in the top half, but they will still be desperate to finish the season strongly to inspire optimism ahead of next term. In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news surrounding the Stadium of Light.

Maja decision made

West Brom boss Carlos Corberan has confirmed that forward Josh Maja will remain out for this weekend’s clash with Sunderland. "Maja will play tonight with the under-21s if the training (for Wallace) goes well, if Wallace feels completely fine and everybody is available from the previous game,” said the Baggies boss.

"He needs this game time that we don't have the possibility to give him another way, from the physical staff and from the coaching staff, it's exactly what he needs if we want to see him helping the team.

"Sometimes we need to, let's say, sacrifice one game if we want to help him be ready, sometimes if you don't make this sacrifice you can spend two months' time to make him available to play as we cannot forget he has been injured from the Sunderland game until now, so a lot of months, which needs some time."

Hummel confirmed

Sunderland have confirmed they will have a new kit manufacturer from next season, with Danish brand Hummel taking over as part of a multi-year deal. Sunderland’s chief commercial officer David Bruce has said: “We have been working on this agreement throughout the season and we are delighted to welcome Hummel back to Sunderland. 

“Although multiple global brands expressed an interest in SAFC, our ownership group made it clear that any agreement had to be fully bespoke and custom to our club. Hummel shone through from day one, demonstrating an understanding of Sunderland that fully embraces our culture and our future.”