Sunderland contract talks with Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin remain unresolved as uncertainty grows over their futures
The Sunderland Echo’s chief sports writer Phil Smith has offered his verdict on the ongoing contract situations surrounding Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin, with both players now into the final year of their current deals at the Stadium of Light.
Cirkin has missed the club’s opening three Premier League games after undergoing wrist surgery earlier in the summer. In his absence, Sunderland have strengthened their defensive options with the signings of Reinildo from Atlético Madrid and Arthur Masuaku from West Ham. Trai Hume, as well as returning duo Aji Alese and Luke O’Nien, are also capable of covering in the left-back role.
Meanwhile, midfielder Neil is yet to feature in the Premier League this season despite captaining Sunderland to promotion from the Championship last term. The arrivals of Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, and Habib Diarra have added significant competition in midfield, leaving Neil waiting for his opportunity to break back into Régis Le Bris’ starting XI.
Concern over lack of contract progress
Speaking on the Roar Podcast, Smith admitted that the length of time negotiations have taken leaves some concern, while stressing that there is still optimism within the club that agreements can be reached. He said: "Kristjaan Speakman always keeps his cards quite close to his chest when it comes to contracts.
Smith continued regarding the double-promotion winning Sunderland pair: “It's an odd one. It doesn't feel overly positive, if I'm completely honest, just because of how much time this has been going on for, I mean, this is probably the fourth end-of-window review I've done in a row where I've been asking about these questions.
Neil and Cirkin could get key chances later this year
“Obviously, in both cases now, there's the added sort of complication, really, that Neil doesn’t have a particularly obvious pathway to the team when everyone is fit. Neil looks like he will certainly get opportunities during the Africa Cup of Nations later this year, which could be a really important moment for him to try and prove himself at that level.
"And I guess similarly with Dennis Cirkin as well, these are both players that are potentially going to come into the team in December. So, it's going to be really interesting to see how that develops. But the initial implications at the moment don't seem hugely positive."
There are reasons to be optimistic
Smith also highlighted that Régis Le Bris has remained optimistic about Neil’s future but believes the situation hasn’t shifted significantly over the summer. “I know you spoke to Le Bris before the Brentford game, and he was quite confident on Dan Neil, or remained very optimistic on Dan Neil. So, we can definitely take some encouragement from that.”
"But at the moment, it doesn't feel like there's been a huge amount of change over the course of the summer on those. And that is definitely something that, yeah, I think it definitely has to be flagged up as a bit of a concern, I think, doesn't it, at this point?"
Smith went on to explain that uncertainty over playing time could prove a factor in negotiations, particularly given Sunderland’s strengthened midfield and defensive options following the summer transfer window. However, there will also be opportunities during the upcoming African Cup of Nations over the festive period.
Playing time could impact contract talks
"Money, but also now opportunity,” Smith responded when queried about what is holding up the two contract renewals. “That's what I'm saying. That's why that's probably one of the reasons why I'm less optimistic now than I would have been at some points, because now there's obviously a clear sort of playing time dynamic to it, isn't there?
“Whereas with both these players, their role in the team moving forward is uncertain. As I said, they're going to get those opportunities later this year. But yeah, I think that potentially it's going to be a real headache for the player and the club in January if neither of these players is in the team at that point, and they're heading into the last six months of their deal.
"It's going to be, obviously, some of them are going to have a difficult decision to make from a PSR perspective, because ideally you don't want to lose any players who you could potentially recoup some money from for free. And those players will be looking at it thinking: is it time to start thinking about getting a move where I can get into the team? I'm obviously getting ahead of myself there a little bit, but I just think that the summer transfer window has added an extra layer of complication to those talks. But yeah, let's see how they develop."
Talks ongoing despite growing uncertainty
Despite the uncertainty, Smith believes there is still a clear willingness on all sides to find a solution. "It's very clear that nobody's kind of given up on it, if you like. It doesn't feel, with Ross Stewart and Jack Clarke, it felt like we knew from quite a long way out that there wasn't going to be a resolution. And yes, talks were being held, etc.
"But you never had any real sense that, as you mentioned, unless something got promoted, that anything was going to change on that front. It doesn't feel like we're at that point with these two yet. I think that's something that I would probably stress.
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"It definitely doesn't feel like, oh, listen, it's inevitable that they're off. It's just a matter of when. But I think, as you mentioned, the fact that there have been so many other renewals this summer, I think, tells you that there are obvious kinds of challenges with these two that at the moment haven't been able to be overcome."
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