I had major doubts over Dennis Cirkin, but Sunderland now have a clear priority
Humble pie was well and truly served after Sunderland’s draw with Man City.
European football is genuinely on the cards for Sunderland this season, and their unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light is a major factor behind that.
Those who arrived in the summer turned this side into one that finished fourth in the Championship, to one that has now lost just once against Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and sit seventh in the Premier League table.
Within that new squad, there are a handful of stars who played a role in the promotion last year, one of whom deserves an apology.
Sunderland have no time to waste over Dennis Cirkin contract
There was plenty of disagreement over this, but I thought Cirkin was dreadful against Leeds. And that was being generous.
It was his error that led to the goal, and it was again his error that almost led to a second just minutes later.
The idea of him coming up against Rayan Cherki was terrifying, but I was genuinely blown away by how well Cirkin defended against him.
He won nearly everything that came his way and looked like a genuine threat going forward with the ball, as we all had become accustomed to last season.
Is he better than Reinildo? No. But is he better than I gave him credit for? Without a shadow of a doubt, and many will agree with that.
Cirkin’s contract is up at the end of the campaign, and based on his performance against Man City alone, the Black Cats need to push forward with a new deal for the defender, who is only going to get better.
What has Cirkin said about his Sunderland future?
Undoubtedly, Cirkin’s future hasn’t been talked about too much because of his injury situation at the start of the campaign.
The former Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate hadn’t featured for the Black Cats since the play-off final back in May, before Cirkin returned to face Leeds in December.
After his return, as quoted by the Sunderland Echo, Cirkin said on his future: “Look, I’ve just played my first game in six months, so that’s the first step, just getting back out there on that pitch. We’ll see how it goes now.”
But again, after such a strong display against arguably the best side in the world, Cirkin is more than deserving of a new deal.
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