Wilson Isidor's transfer situation explained and the fresh quotes Sunderland fans will love

Well, it's happened again. Sunderland fans swore they'd have learned from their past mistakes but the evidence is overwhelming: they've fallen in love with a loan player.

Wilson Isidor had already made a fine start to his Sunderland career, three goals in five starts up front and quickly winning over fans with his effervescent personality. His first-time volley to seal the win over Oxford United, a quite brilliant finish as a pass from Dan Neil dropped over his shoulder, made it four from six and only served to underline his status as the club's new cult hero.

As a result, attention is already quickly starting to turn about what might lie ahead and how realistic Sunderland's chances are of making him their player on a permanent basis. Here, we've broken his transfer and contract situation and what the player himself has said about his future...

ISIDOR'S CONTRACT SITUATION EXPLAINED

Isidor is on loan until the end of the 2024/25 campaign, but there was some confusion over what happens at the end of the campaign due to contrasting statements from Sunderland and Zenit St Petersburg at the time of his arrival. Sunderland announced that they had an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season, while Zenit said it was a 'mandatory right to buy'.

The Echo understands that a fee has been agreed by the two clubs, but whether it is automatically triggered depends on the team's performance this season. If Sunderland win promotion to the Premier League, it will automatically trigger the clause. If they are still a Championship club next summer, the deal will not automatically be triggered and at that stage it will be Sunderland’s decision as to whether to push forward with the deal. If Isidor maintains his current form over the course of the rest of this campaign, it's a fairly safe bet to assume Sunderland will look to do exactly that.

The fee would be a significant one but given some of the fees that have been paid for strikers by Championship clubs in recent seasons, a very reasonable one. The structure of the deal is a relatively common one and has similarities with the loan deal to sign Leon Dajaku from Union Berlin, for example. Dajaku initially signed on a season-long deal but became a Sunderland player when they secured promotion from League One and was included in the club's retained list days later.

Whether any deal would be complicated by the ongoing geopolitical situation remains to be seen; there were no issues with the loan agreement which was approved by all the relevant parties. One would think it’s a potential hurdle Sunderland have already examined and explored as part of the initial deal.

WHAT ISIDOR HAS SAID ABOUT HIS FUTURE

While Isidor does not look to have a long-term future at Zenit regardless of how Sunderland fare between now and the end of the campaign, if they do not win promotion this season then theoretically the door would be opened to other clubs to enter the equation. Sunderland would of course have first option having agreed a fee, and so it would be up to the player.

Fans can be reassured in that scenario by Isidor's clear commitment to playing his way into Sunderland's plans for the long term. Speaking to The Echo last month, Isidor said: "I am on loan but with an optional buy. But no, for me, I want to continue with Sunderland and write the club into my career and my history.”

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The 24-year-old is loving life on Wearside and underlined his commitment to the cause in an interview with club media after the win over Oxford United, in which he scored the fourth goal of his Sunderland career to date.

"I love to be here," he said."I give everything for the shirt. It's not only our name we wear on the shirt, it's a lot history, one city, one club - you want to give everything every time. I think the coach found the perfect thing with every player, they know what they have to do on the pitch and it's a nice feeling. Our group is special, it's a very special group - everybody knows what we want and we work every day. It's really good, I've never taken so much pleasure from [working with] a group and a coach also."

Football is an incredibly unpredictable sport and a lot can happen over the course of the 36 games between now and the end of the season, but Sunderland are as well placed as they could be to turn the loan deal permanent. They have a clear path to the deal and it's one that the player is determined to make happen.