Sunderland progressed through to the fifth round of the FA Cup last weekend with a 1-0 win over Championship side Oxford United, thanks to Habib Diarra's goal.
The Black Cats now turn their attention back to the Premier League this weekend with a clash with Fulham at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Regis Le Bris' side have the chance to move back into the top half of the table with a win, as they are only behind their rivals Newcastle United on goal difference at the moment, but they will need to keep one of Fulham's key men quiet.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris
Harry Wilson has been one of the division's in-form players in recent months with his performances for the Cottagers on the right flank, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in 25 Premier League games.
The Wales international could be the main threat for the Black Cats to contend with, and they should be more than familiar with his qualities because he is a reported target for the club.
The latest on Harry Wilson to Sunderland
Sunderland were named as one of a number of clubs eyeing up the former Liverpool forward ahead of the summer during the January transfer window, as they plot for the future.
harry-wilson-fulham
Leeds United, Everton, and Crystal Palace were also named among the sides looking to snap him up on a free transfer at the end of the season, as his contract is due to expire and it currently looks unlikely that he will sign a new deal at Craven Cottage.
The latest news on his future, though, is that Aston Villa are one of the teams leading the race to sign the eight-goal Premier League star for nothing ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
It looks like it will be a difficult challenge for Sunderland to win the race for Wilson's signature because of how many other Premier League teams, including possible Champions League participants Villa, are also in for his services.
Whilst the Black Cats may still push to sign the Welsh attacker in the summer, Le Bris could have had his own version of Wilson if he had not sold a player last summer.
The former Sunderland star who could have been their own Harry Wilson
It would be harsh to criticise Sunderland too much for their transfer business last summer, because they won promotion via the play-offs and have built a squad that is competing for a top-half finish, with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Chemsdine Talbi, and Noah Sadiki.
Xhaka-Sunderland
One potential criticism of their business this season, however, could be that they did not provide Patrick Roberts with a real opportunity to prove himself in the Premier League.
The winger played 27 minutes in one substitute appearance against Burnley before being sent out on loan to Birmingham City last summer, before he was sold permanently to the Blues in January.
Roberts is a diminutive left-footed right winger, like Wilson, who has scored three goals, created eight 'big chances', and provided four assists in the Championship this season.
His form for the Blues comes after he scored two goals and provided seven assists in the second tier for the Black Cats during their promotion-winning campaign.
The 29-year-old wing wizard, who was described as "absolutely awesome" by journalist Josh Bunting, was never given an extended run of games to prove himself in the Premier League, despite showing plenty of creative quality as a winger in the second tier.
|Patrick Roberts' Sunderland career|
|Season|Big chances created|Assists|
|---|
|24/25|7|8|
|23/24|5|2|
|22/23|10|7|
|21/22|2|1|
Like Wilson, Roberts is also a left-footed right winger who loves to take players on and commit defenders to create space for his teammates in the final third.
The experienced forward completed 1.6 dribbles per game in the league for Sunderland last term and has averaged 1.3 per match for Birmingham this season, which shows that he regularly gets fans off their seats by being direct with the ball at his feet.
patrick-roberts-birmingham (3)
Roberts may not be a prolific goalscorer, with just four goals in all competitions this term, but he does have the creative qualities and play style to suggest that he could have been a Wilson-esque right winger in the top-flight for Sunderland.
The English winger was not given a fair chance to showcase his ability at that level, but he could have been Le Bris' own version of Wilson if the club had not sold him in January or loaned him out last summer.
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