Geertruida’s future was plunged into doubt over the weekend when Liverpool made a formal approach to sign him from his permanent employers, RB Leipzig.
Liverpool officials held talks with senior figures at both Sunderland and Leipzig, but the Black Cats pulled the plug on the proposed move on Sunday evening.
Geertruida will see out the remainder of his loan at the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland set to trigger the clause that will turn his temporary transfer into a permanent move at the end of the season for around €23m.
Le Bris spoke to Geertruida personally when the Liverpool talks broke down, and after the 25-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in last night’s 3-0 win over Burnley, the Black Cats boss is confident he will remain an important player in the final three months of the season.
“We’ve had many conversations,” said Le Bris, whose side remain the only Premier League team to have avoided defeat in all their home matches this term. “I think we were honest and really well connected all the way through.
“When the deadline was finished and over, he accepted the decision. I think he is ready to play for Sunderland. I don’t have any worries about him being okay from now on.”
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As well as beating Burnley yesterday, Sunderland also conducted a large amount of deadline-day transfer business.
Simon Adingra was the highest-profile player to leave the club, joining Monaco on a loan deal that is set to become a permanent transfer in the summer.
Adingra was replaced by Nilson Angulo, with the Ecuadorian winger joining Sunderland in a £15m move from Anderlecht, with a further £2.5m of potential add-ons also included in the deal.
“I know him [Angulo] because we have worked with the recruitment structure on his profile,” said Le Bris. “I think he is a strong, powerful tall winger with strong physical ability.
“He has this South American style of play as well, with the ability to be creative. He likes the one-v-one situations, he has this character.
“After that, he will probably need time to connect with his team-mates and the league, but you never know, sometimes it is really quick, sometimes it takes time. But we are really happy to have him.”