Sunderland have some major decisions to make over the coming weeks
It is set to be a busy summer on Wearside for Director of Football Florent Ghisolfi, who needs to get a squad ready for a crucial second season in the Premier League and the additional rigours of Europa League football.
He needs to strengthen the senior group while also dealing with the futures of a number of players who may look either for loan or permanent exits in search of more playing time. First and foremost, though, he has three big calls to make in conjunction with head coach Régis Le Bris and the three key senior players out of contract this summer.
Here, we look at the factors in play and predict how things might unfold..
Lutsharel Geertruida - do Sunderland trigger their purchase option?
For most fans, this should be the easiest of decisions. Geertruida has been a dependable player across a number of positions across the campaign and then excelled in recent weeks. He's an experienced, top-level player who clearly fits in well with the dressing-room culture. So why wouldn't he sign? Well, it's complicated. Geertruida almost left the club in January to go on loan to Liverpool for the rest of the campaign, and for much of the campaign he has clearly not been in Régis Le Bris's first-choice starting XI. For the club it's a big chunk of cash for a player who might not get into the XI and when other positions need addressing more urgently than the right side of defence. For the player, he's approaching a point in his career where he'll want to feel he has a strong chance of featuring week in, week out.
That's why it has in recent weeks the view behind the scenes is that it is 'very unlikely' that Geertruida will sign permanently. Might Sunderland qualifying for the Europa League change that? Time will tell, and it's previously been thought that neither party wants to rush into a definitive decision with the clause still having a little while to run. Perhaps more relevant to this conversation is that since the win at Newcastle United, Geertruida has played regularly in his strongest right-back position and been excellent each and every time. He has gone from being a dependable player who doesn't let the team down to looking like the kind of elite operator that caught the eye when he helped Feyenoord win the Eredivisie under Arne Slot. The success of the last few weeks will surely give both parties pause for thought at the very least.
Did Geertruida look like a player saying his farewell to the Sunderland crowd on Sunday? Fans will fear so, and it would feel like a big opportunity missed. It will be fascinating to see Ghisolfi's plan unfold.
Early prediction: Geertruida departs, but let's hope for a late u-turn...
Bertrand Traoré - do Sunderland extend his contract?
In December, this was an absolute no-brainer. Signing Traoré was a superb piece of last-ditch business on deadline day in summer, adding valuable experience to the squad. After a fairly slow start, he made the right-wing position is under and became one of Le Bris's most trusted players. Since departing for AFCON, though, he has suffered two significant knee injuries and made one just brief cameo off the bench at Elland Road in March. Jocelin Ta Bi and Nilson Angulo were preferred in the final weeks of the season, though Le Bris did make clear that this was mainly because Traoré needed a little more training time to regain his sharpness.
As one of the more experienced players in the squad his wage will be a significant commitment for Sunderland and they know they have a number of young players who need minutes next season. It's also a position they will very probably be eyeing up a new addition this summer given that for much of the campaign it has been something of a problem position for Le Bris who has often had to be creative in his set up.
Fully fit there's absolutely no doubt that Traoré can play a part, but Sunderland have to weigh up the balance of their squad. As he heads into a crucial period of his career, Traoré will no doubt want to get a sense of his likely playing time and weigh up his future as a result.
Early prediction: Traoré departs
Dennis Cirkin - Do Sunderland offer the full back a new contract?
It has been a mixed campaign for Cirkin, who took his opportunity to impress when Reinildo departed for AFCON in December and demonstrated as many expected he would that he was capable of handling the intensity and quality of Premier League football. He has missed a number of games due to injury, however, continuing what has at times been a frustrating theme of recent seasons.
Cirkin has the ability to be a very good squad player and a new contract would also help Sunderland meet UEFA's homegrown registration rules for the Europa League next season. He'd offer valuable cover and competition on the left flank, but there have clearly been concerns about his availability across a period of time. There's also a major question for the defneder himself to consider. Is he happy likely operating as cover for Reinildo? Or, after an exceptionally successful and memorable time at the club, does he want a new challenge and adventure and to go somewhere where he is likely to be counted as the first-choice at left back? A departure has looked the most likely outcome over the course of the last few months, but the extra games and the carrot of playing the Europa League does just give both parties something to consider.
Early prediction: A departure seems more likely than not but Europa League football gives everyone something to think about
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