Marc Guiu was recalled by Chelsea this week after a brief loan stint with Sunderland
Just weeks after arriving at the Stadium of Light on loan from parent club Chelsea, Spanish striker Marc Guiu - who registered just three appearances in red and white, including a pair of fleeting cameos from the bench - was promptly recalled back to Stamford Bridge after Blues summer signing Liam Delap suffered an injury that looks set to keep him out of action for a couple of months.
Cue a brief period of speculative confusion, followed by a swift and decisive response from the Black Cats, who swooped to wrap up a permanent deal for Ajax forward Brian Brobbey, paving the way for Guiu to return to West London. Truthfully, Sunderland were never under any obligation to acquiesce to Chelsea’s request for a recall, but the club felt it best to sanction the teenager’s exit - especially once a suitable replacement had been sourced.
As Speakman has since explained: “It was a really unusual situation. Not one that I can think that I’ve come across personally in the transfer windows over recent years. We have to be really respectful to the parent club of the player that we take on loan because we want to make sure we’ve got healthy relationships.
“And also most importantly, to the player. Chelsea came to us with a suggestion, Marc as a player would want to go and play for his parent club and have the opportunity that he’s been working for, which is what ultimately he was coming here to try and earn in the future. That meant there was a position where it was on us to make a decision over what we wanted to do.
“We weren’t going to make a decision that put us in a detrimental position, but Brian is a player who we’ve been tracking all summer. There’s one or two other players that we’ve been tracking too, and always in the transfer window, it’s about timing. For us, the timing of being able to take Brian and the timing of our position with Chelsea and with Marc meant that we could agree to it.
“We’re really disappointed on one hand because we really liked Marc. But at the same time, we also really like Brian and we’re really pleased that Brian’s here because we think he’s a player for now and a player for the future."
And while in the short term, Guiu’s exit means that Sunderland are bidding farewell to a highly sought after prospect, those “healthy relationships” mention by Speakman presumably stand the Black Cats in fairly good stead when it comes to doing business with Chelsea in the future.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at a smattering of the Stamford Bridge talents who Sunderland would be well-advised to cast an eye over if and when they sit down at the negotiating table with their top flight rivals further down the line...
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join ourSAFC WhatsApp channel.
Tyrique George
A tricky winger who has been making himself at home in the first team of late, George looks to be a real prospect. The 19-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Fulham in the latter stages of the transfer window, but ultimately stayed put at his boyhood club, and if there is a situation in the future whereby Chelsea look to ship him out to gain experience, Sunderland could do far worse than throwing their hat into the ring for his signature.
Josh Acheampong
Another Chelsea academy graduate, Acheampong can either play as a centre-half or at right-back, and has already featured in the Premier League this season. Physically imposing and comfortable in possession, he is also a member of England’s U20s squad at international level.
Dario Essugo
Essugo only signed for Chelsea this summer, arriving from Sporting CP for around £18.5 million, and despite being just 20 years of age, has already amassed a decent amount of senior experience - including a loan stint in La Liga with Las Palmas. Forcing his way into Enzo Maresca’s thinking on a regular basis may prove to be a different challenge entirely, however, and if his current employers decide to acclimatise him to the English game with a spell away from Stamford Bridge, he could prove to be a real asset to any number of suitors.
Ishe Samuels-Smith
Linked with Sunderland earlier in the summer, Samuels-Smith’s transfer window probably outstrips Guiu’s in terms of it unorthodoxy. The versatile defender initially left Chelsea to join sister club Strasbourg on a permanent deal, before returning to West London just 33 days later and then sealing a loan to Swansea City. Bizarre, but the fact remains that he is a much-fancied talent, and if he thrives in the Championship, perhaps a step up to the Premier League could soon be on the cards.
Marc Guiu
Stranger things have happened. Guiu was deemed surplus to requirements once, and with Delap due back in the relatively near future, who’s to say where the Spaniard will find himself once the January transfer window rolls around. Could Sunderland revisit a potential loan this winter?
Continue Reading