Despite soaring up to the Premier League in dramatic fashion, Sunderland have found their summer so far to be testing.
Indeed, their playoff final goalscoring hero Tommy Watson has already departed the Black Cats for pastures new at Brighton and Hove Albion, with a second high-profile exit in the midfield ranks perhaps on the cards with Jobe Bellingham potentially moving on to German behemoth Borussia Dortmund.
jobe bellingham
To make matters even worse, Dan Neil has also been subject to many rumours surrounding his immediate Stadium of Light future, with a third quickfire departure surely too much for Sunderland to stomach.
The latest on Neil's future at Sunderland
On top of their homegrown captain allegedly eyeing a move away, standout defender Trai Hume is also finding his name to be on many a summer shopping list, as the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers begin to circle for the energetic Northern Irishman.
Whilst Hume leaving would obviously be a crushing blow, a trio of midfield exits would really deplete Regis Le Bris' midfield options ahead of their Premier League venture, with reports suggesting that Neil is of interest to Serie A giants AS Roma for around the £15m region.
Luton Town's Elijah Adebayo in action with Sunderland's Daniel Neil
Bellingham might well steal most of the headlines in the midfield department, but Neil was the necessary glue for Le Bris last season in the middle of the park, leading to the 23-year-old only missing two league clashes all campaign long.
Averaging 5.7 ball recoveries per league match also shows off his relentless drive for the team, with a hope now that an equally spritely midfielder can come in and plug the gap of Neil if Sunderland's worst fears are realised.
Sunderland's next "outstanding" version of Neil
Whilst losing the long-standing Black Cats servant would hurt in the short term, any wounds opened up by his exit would soon be sutured by a Premier League-ready midfielder entering the building.
As per a report from TEAMTalk earlier this month, Le Bris' newly promoted side could target Tommy Doyle as a way to boost their reduced midfield numbers, with the report stating that the ex-Manchester City youngster could be available for as little as £3m after finding himself surplus to requirements under Vitor Pereira at current employers Wolves.
Before he tumbled down the pecking order at Molineux, Doyle did prove himself as a promising top-flight star with the Old Gold, as seen in his 50 Premier League appearances to date for Wolves, away from hammering home sublime strikes like the one above last year in the FA Cup.
Neil, of course, also has a fierce effort in his back pocket - with a hefty total of 12 goals and 20 assists next to his name on Wearside - with Doyle further showing off his similarities to the Roma target when previously shining bright in the Championship on loan at Sheffield United.
Neil for Sunderland (24/25) vs Doyle (22/23)
Stat - per 90 mins*
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Big chances created
Total duels won*
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the numbers, Doyle would amazingly better Neil's output on the temporary books of the Blades, with the Manchester-born ace also winning a respectable 2.3 duels per league clash when last battling away in the second tier.
He has since taken to the step up of the Premier League relatively well, with one of his former youth coaches in Mark Kennedy even once comparing his midfield game to that of Steven Gerrard's when labelling Doyle as "outstanding."
Tommy-Doyle-Wolves
Ideally, Sunderland would keep Neil around for their daunting jump up to the top-flight, with Kristjaan Speakman revealing that there is a "conversation" to be had over the midfielder's contract, as well as that of Dennis Cirkin.
But, if he does fancy a new challenge away from his boyhood side, Doyle could well step in and replace Neil adequately, with his game potentially elevated under the fresh methods of Le Bris.
Jobe-Bellingham-Sunderland Related
[Worse than selling Jobe: "Outstanding" Sunderland star wanted by PL clubs](https://www.footballfancast.com/worse-than-selling-jobe-sunderland-hume-wanted-by-pl-clubs/ "Worse than selling Jobe: "Outstanding" Sunderland star wanted by PL clubs")
This Sunderland star is being eyed up by Premier League teams, and his exit would be a bigger blow than Jobe Bellingham's.