Sunderland are in the race to sign a 'big' Blackburn Rovers player who's also attracting interest from rivals Newcastle United and Everton.
Sunderland enjoy break as Ghisolfi makes summer plans
April 12 marks Sunderland's next test, a whole eight days away, and it arrives in the form of a fixture that has taken on a different kind of significance over the course of this week.
It is Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge of a Spurs side hovering just above the relegation zone, and for Sunderland, who are outside contenders for Europe, the points on offer carry the same weight from either direction.
Roberto De Zerbi before the match
Florent Ghisolfi put it plainly on BBC Radio Newcastle this week:
"Today, fighting for the relegation, you have Tottenham, you have West Ham, you have Nottingham Forest," he said.
"They are clubs in the European competition this year or the last one. So they are big clubs."
It was a pointed reminder that survival at this level is not straightforward for anyone.
Ghisolfi's broader vision for the summer, outlined in the same conversation, offers a clearer picture of what Sunderland are building beyond the immediate scramble.
There will be no repeat of last summer's sweeping overhaul, and 10 signings, including the likes of Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele, will not be replicated.
The focus, he said, will be on stability and incremental quality, following the template of the January window in which Melker Ellborg, Nilson Angulo and Jocelin Ta Bi arrived quietly and with development in mind.
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Sunderland are not under financial pressure to sell, the Premier League's resources providing a cushion, though exits remain part of the club's deliberate model — the idea being that ambitious young players will see Wearside as a launchpad rather than a ceiling.
New Premier League Squad Cost Ratio regulations kicking in this summer will also shape the scale of any investment, even if Sunderland are being linked with a very intriguing targets right now.
Into that picture of measured, intelligent recruitment, a new name has surfaced — and one that speaks directly to the profile Ghisolfi has consistently targeted since arriving from Roma.
Sunderland join race to sign Blackburn Rovers rising star Tom Atcheson
TEAMtalk's Graeme Bailey reports that Sunderland are among a cluster of Premier League clubs who have made checks on Blackburn Rovers rising star defender Tom Atcheson in recent weeks.
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The 19-year-old only made his senior debut for Blackburn in December, but his progress under manager Michael O'Neill has been so rapid that he is already a regular fixture in the side.
So rapid, in fact, that O'Neill has handed the teenager his first full cap for Northern Ireland at international level — an extraordinary double expression of faith from a manager who oversees both.
The comparisons being drawn around Ewood Park are telling: Atcheson works directly with the recently retired Phil Jones, who carved his own path from Blackburn's academy to a high-profile £16.5m move to Manchester United in 2011, and those around the club see a similar trajectory beginning to take shape.
Manchester United Phil Jones-1
Blackburn have moved to protect their asset — Atcheson has signed a new long-term deal at Ewood Park, and O'Neill's influence was central to convincing him to commit.
However, TEAMtalk report that the level of interest building around the teenager may yet test their resolve.
Alongside Sunderland, Newcastle and Everton are among the many sides to have made checks on the teen following his 'rapid rise'.
From across Europe, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and Napoli are monitoring his situation too.
For Sunderland, adding a young, highly-rated English defender with international pedigree already attached fits the Ghisolfi model perfectly — low cost, high ceiling, exactly the kind of move that can generate future value while improving the present.
O'Neill would hate to lose him, having called Atcheson a 'big player' already.
"He’s very composed and he’s blessed with the natural attributes you want in a centre-back," said O'Neill about Atcheson.
"He has size, but also speed and he’s a good user of the ball as well. I thought he played with great composure and handled the threat of the opposition extremely well.
"Early on in the game, I think they thought with a young centre-back they’d try and exploit that area, but he handled that well, grew into the game and he’s a big player with a huge future.”
Whether the new contract at Ewood Park proves a genuine barrier or merely a speed bump is a question that will be answered by the summer.
Given who is circling, Blackburn may need to brace themselves.
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