Sunderland have no plans to let the winger leave on deadline despite reported interest from Coventry City.
Sunderland are set to keep Romaine Mundle at the club beyond the deadline, with sources indicating there is no prospect of the winger leaving despite reports linking him with Coventry City.
The Echo understands Sunderland’s executive team have ruled out any late move for the 22-year-old, with head coach Régis Le Bris heavily involved in the decision. Internally, the situation is being viewed as one to file firmly under not happening.
Mundle’s season has required patience. He endured a disrupted start after undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury during pre-season, before returning to a competitive environment on the left flank that had intensified over the summer. Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra and Enzo Le Fée all arrived on permanent deals and have been deployed out wide by Le Bris at various points, increasing competition for places.
In recent weeks, however, a fully fit Mundle has begun to work his way back into contention. He made his Premier League debut against Bournemouth in late November and has since taken further steps forward, earning increased trust from the head coach as his sharpness and confidence have returned.
Le Bris has previously been clear about his desire to retain Mundle and believes outside interest reflects positively on both the player and Sunderland’s development pathway. “I think it’s good,” Le Bris said. “If clubs are interested by our players, it's a positive point. He has this ability with a specific profile as a winger, and I think we need to support him, challenge him sometimes, but support him at the minute to grow in this position in the Premier League.”
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Mundle made his first start of the season in the FA Cup win at Everton, and Le Bris followed that by handing him a first league start shortly after. The Sunderland head coach has been encouraged by how the winger has responded after a stop-start beginning to the campaign. “He’s [Mundle] stepping up in this Premier League, his first season,” Le Bris said. “He started injured with his hamstrings, so he had to build his fitness level and his confidence.
“He came off the bench three or four times, I think, before his first start in the FA Cup. He showed his quality as a winger, his ability to dribble, to combine with his team-mates, and going behind to cross or shoot. He has this quality. Now, it’s a question of potential. You have to transform it into reality. We still have room for improvement, but he’s a young lad with great potential, so we trust him.”
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