Jocelin Ta Bi sent to London specialist in new Sunderland transfer twist
Sunderland are seeking a new attacker as the January transfer window nears the halfway stage.
After earning promotion from the Championship last May, Sunderland spent more than £160million on transfers in preparation for the Premier League.
That assertive strategy, which included Sunderland signing top players such as Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen, has led them to 10th in the table this season.
Sunderland have been linked with Real Madrid’s Ferland Mendy but, as of yet, no January incomings have been completed.
And it seems their efforts to sign Jocelin Ta Bi from Israeli side Maccabi Netanya may come up short.
Sunderland receive transfer blow amid Celtic links
Sunderland looked set to profit on Celtic’s collapsed move for Ta Bi, who is on loan at Israel top-flight side Hapoel Petah Tikva.
According to the Daily Record, Celtic backed out of the £2.5m deal for the 20-year-old after medical tests flagged up ankle ligament damage that would require surgery – sidelining him for months.
However, reports in Israel state that the Scottish giants have asked for a second opinion, and the Ivorian will go to a specialist in London to decide if he needs an operation or not.
The report adds that Ta Bi was linked with a move to the Stadium of Light, but his agents have dismissed any possibility of linking up with Regis Le Bris’ team.
If Ta Bi is given the all-clear, the Celtic move could still go ahead, while Sunderland will continue to look for January deals.
Sunderland’s concerning trend
While Sunderland are enjoying a superb season back in the Premier League, their form of late has stagnated.
Since their 1-0 victory over rivals Newcastle United in mid-December, they have failed to win any of their last five league games.
While they have earned creditable draws with Manchester City and Tottenham, they were thumped by Brentford and appear to be missing their Africa Cup of Nations contingent.
| Sunderland’s winless league run | |
| Brighton 0-0 Sunderland | 20 December |
| Sunderland 1-1 Leeds United | 28 December |
| Sunderland 0-0 Manchester City | 1 January |
| Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland | 4 January |
| Brentford 3-0 Sunderland | 7 January |
Sunderland did knock Everton out of the FA Cup at the weekend after winning on penalties but the return of the likes of Noah Sadiki, Arthur Masuaku, Reinildo Mandava, and Bertrand Traore will help their cause.
Plus, Morocco star Chemsdine Talbi and Senegal ace Habib Diarra should be back later this month from the competition.
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