‘Sunderland to fight tooth and nail’ as Tottenham ready to sign Cirkin
Sunderland will know that they are facing an uphill battle to stay in the Premier League this season.
All six of the sides promoted from the Championship in the last two seasons have suffered an immediate return to the second tier, and the Mackems will know that they must get their transfer business spot on.
The hierarchy has the opportunity to boost their hopes of survival by bringing in some players of proven Premier League quality to complement the array of promising young talents at Regis Le Bris’ disposal.
They have already lost one of those young stars, following Jobe Bellingham’s move to Dortmund. But that sale has at least handed the North East outfit ample resources to reinvest into the squad.
‘Sunderland to fight tooth and nail’ as Spurs eye Cirkin
Sunderland have also faced interest in Chris Rigg in recent months, and they will be desperate to ensure they don’t lose any more of the key figures from the squad that got promoted.
However, alarm bells will be ringing once again at the Stadium of Light, thanks to the news that Tottenham have considered a move for Dennis Cirkin, according to Football London (20 June).
The left-back came through the academy ranks in North London, and has been outlined by Spurs as a potential option to bring back, as they try and boost the number of locally-trained players in their squad for their upcoming Champions League campaign.
It goes without saying that Sunderland will be desperate to keep hold of Cirkin, and the Wearsiders must fight tooth and nail to ensure they can fend off any possible advances from Thomas Frank’s side.
The 23-year-old has just one year remaining on his current contract, and with Spurs holding a sell-on fee for whenever he does depart the North East, they would be able to snatch Cirkin for a cut-price deal.
As a result, it is of huge importance to Sunderland that they try and tie down Cirkin to a new contract before next season gets underway.
Sunderland must risk losing Cirkin for free if they have to
Cirkin’s recent injury issues have prompted some cause for concern, but there can be no doubt about his importance to Sunderland’s project.
The full-back had an excellent season last time out, and after starring in the Championship, he now looks ready to successfully make that step up to the Premier League.
| Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 116 | 8 | 6 |
He is a player that Le Bris and Co. cannot allow to leave the Stadium of Light this summer if they want to survive in the top flight, and with that in mind, they must potentially risk losing him for free next year.
The Black Cats must first seek guidance from Cirkin over his interest in potentially signing a new deal, but if he intends to leave in the near future, then Sunderland must ensure that he stays for the duration of his current contract.
Survival in the Premier League would be worth so much more than whatever fee they would be able to get from Tottenham, and if that means Cirkin walking away for nothing at the end of the campaign, then that is something they must be willing to risk.