‘I would be stunned’ – Journalist shares if club could recall Sunderland ace in January
Phil Smith believes “it’s highly likely” Bournemouth have the option to recall Sunderland star Chris Mepham in January.
The Welshman has been Sunderland’s best player since he stepped in for Dan Ballard, who has missed several games with injury and has cemented his place in the starting 11.
Supporters have been left questioning whether Bournemouth could recall the defender in January and Sunderland Echo journalist Smith believes it is likely.
Speaking on the On The Whistle podcast [24 October], he said: “I don’t know this for sure [regarding a recall clause].
“But what I would say is that I would suggest it’s highly likely. It would be highly irregular for a season-long loan deal to be done without a January recall; pretty much every club does it now.
“I would be stunned if there wasn’t a recall clause.”
Chris Mepham would be a huge loss for Sunderland
Since stepping in for Ballard, Mepham has been nothing short of immense. His leadership and footballing ability has been on show throughout every game he has featured in and he has earned plaudits from many pundits as well as from Regis Le Bris.
His form means that Ballard will have to wait for his chance to get back into the starting lineup as he returns from injury but it’s an excellent problem to have for Le Bris.
Ballard has been a monumental figure at the back during his time at Sunderland and the very fact he is likely to sit out in favour of Mepham just demonstrates how good the Welshman has been.
Alongside Luke O’Nien, they have formed a solid defensive partnership and he has contributed massively in the changing rooms as well.
If Bournemouth have the option to recall him and if they exercise that right, it would put a huge dent in Sunderland’s promotion hopes.
In other Sunderland news, Carlton Palmer has given his verdict on the club’s automatic promotion aspirations
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