Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League has placed even more pressure on the club’s recruitment team for the summer transfer window.
Sunderland earned promotion to the Premier League for next season following their 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final.
Regis Le Bris’ side came back from one goal behind to win under the Wembley arch, thanks to goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Tommy Watson.
The Black Cats’ promotion sees Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee become a permanent signing for Sunderland due to the obligation-to-buy clause in his contract.
If Le Bris is to keep Sunderland in the top flight beyond next season, more signings of the same quality will need to be made by the club’s recruitment team.
Here, EFL Analysis has delved into five targets that should be high on the Black Cats’ transfer list.
Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images
Five transfer targets Sunderland should sign ahead of Premier League return
Callum Doyle
Starting at the heart of defence, Callum Doyle should be high on the priority list for Sunderland this summer, after his impressive campaign on loan at Norwich from Manchester City this season.
21-year-old Doyle featured 40 times in the second tier this season, notching eight goal contributions, and would be a capable acquisition for the Black Cats.
Doyle is a rare commodity in football, being a left-footed central defender, and alongside Dan Ballard would make a commanding central defensive duo.
Man City loanee Doyle was a member of the Sunderland squad that won promotion in the 2021/22 League One play-off final, and is on the hunt for a permanent home after a fourth successive loan stint away from The Etihad.
Via the Pink Un, Doyle said: “I think (a permanent move) is the next aim for me. It’s my fourth loan now, and I’ve been all over the country.
“I’ve loved playing here and at Carrow Road. The fans are great, so you never know (about a return). It just depends on what happens in the summer, to be honest.”
Doyle’s acquisition would suit both parties, by reinforcing Sunderland’s backline with quality and versatility ahead of the top flight return, and provide the highly-rated young defender with a permanent home to continue his development back at the club where he shone during his first loan spell.
Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Kyle Walker-Peters
Full-back Kyle Walker-Peters is out of contract at Southampton this summer, and Sunderland should be looking to secure his services following the Saints’ relegation.
Will Still has now taken the Southampton job, but could be without the versatile defender next season, with the Englishman not yet penning new terms at St Mary’s.
28-year-old Walker-Peters started 33 games for Southampton in the Premier League this season in a handful of defensive-minded positions.
Despite Sunderland’s youth-first footballing philosophy, which was the catalyst for their play-off final success, Walker-Peters presents an extremely sensible bit of business for the Black Cats.
His versatility, Premier League experience, and contractual situation should make Walker-Peters one of the Sunderland recruitment team’s top transfer targets this summer.
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Tommy Doyle
Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle has been labelled the “Jobe Bellingham replacement” after his links to a move from Molineux to the Stadium of Light, as Bellingham looks destined to leave for Germany.
Transfer reporter Alan Nixon has claimed this season: “Sunderland want Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle as the long-term replacement for Jobe Bellingham.
“Their spies are focusing on Doyle, who may become available at the end of this campaign.”
23-year-old Doyle has made only three starts in the Premier League this season under Wolves boss Vitor Pereira, and his lack of gametime could be the reason for a switch to Sunderland.
Combative midfielder Doyle could be the perfect solution if Bellingham completes a move to Borussia Dortmund this summer to bolster the Black Cats’ midfield presence.
Photo by Stuart Leggett | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Stuart Leggett | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson may be a boyhood Sunderland fan, and Academy of Light graduate, but his return to Wearside is as sensible as sentimental.
Henderson left Sunderland in 2011, for a fee in the region of £20 million, and won all there is to win at a domestic level in his 12 years at Liverpool.
The Englishman’s shock move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq lasted only 19 games before Henderson joined Dutch giants Ajax, where he made 45 appearances last season as they missed out on the Eredivisie title.
As quoted by De Telegraaf, football journalist Mike Verweij said: “He [Henderson] is also being linked to Rangers.
“But, Sunderland is his old club, and of course, he wasn’t in the stands for nothing. Ajax wants to get rid of his salary.
“I think now that (Francesco) Farioli is gone, Henderson wants to leave too. I think the road to one of those two clubs is open.”
The 34-year-old’s 492-game stay at Liverpool, where he captained their Champions League win, highlights his dominance in the Premier League and that experience would be the perfect combination to the youthful exuberance on Wearside.
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Gaetan Perrin
In the attacking third, Auxerre ace Gaeten Perrin would be another sensible option for Sunderland, given their need to increase output from the right flank.
Patrick Roberts changed the game in the play-off final for Sunderland, providing the assist for Mayenda’s equaliser, but has found goals hard to come by for the second consecutive season.
Frenchman Perrin would be the perfect antidote to Roberts’ lack of goalscoring output, given that Sunderland have also missed out on Marcus Edwards.
In Ligue 1, Perrin scored ten goals and contributed 11 assists in 34 appearances, to help Auxerre to an 11th-place finish.
28-year-old Perrin scored five of his ten goals with his weaker right foot, as per data from Fotmob, which would bode another benefit over Roberts who constantly vies to use his strong left foot.
With Perrin entering the final year of his contract at Auxerre, and the French contingent on Wearside prevalent under Le Bris, his quality, combined with the financial situation, would be favourable for the Black Cats to make a move this summer for the right midfielder.