Sunderland won’t be bullied as Triantis and Derby County bid details emerge
Sunderland are starting to build a squad that stands a fighting chance of Premier League survival.
The Mackems sealed a major coup by confirming the signing of Granit Xhaka. He joins Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra, Chemsdine Talbi, Reinildo Mandava, Noah Sadiki and others as new faces on Wearside.
This recruitment drive may ultimately result in some of last season’s players being sold.
This could be necessary to recoup the money spent on expensive new signings, as well as ensuring the squad isn’t packed with unhappy players who can’t get a game.
However, the Mackems have shown that they are not willing to accept lowball offers for any of their players, the most recent being for Nectar Triantis.
Sunderland reject £1.2m Triantis bid from Derby County
Triantis is one of the players likely to be deemed surplus to requirements at Sunderland.
The Australian has been loaned out to Hibernian for both of the last two seasons.
Despite performing well in Scotland, it appears Regis Le Bris doesn’t see a future for him at Wearside.
Hibernian want him to sign Triantis permanently, but they can no longer afford to cover his wages.
Derby County are also interested in signing him, but Sunderland have turned down a bid of £1.2m from the Rams, according to the Daily Record’s Scott Burns (31 July).
Sunderland playing a clever game in transfer market
It’s not easy to navigate the transfer market as a team that has just been promoted to the Premier League.
While it’s almost always necessary to sign new players who can thrive in the top league, anyone of that calibre usually prefers to play for a more established club.
That can often lead to overpaying for players who don’t truly want to be at your club.
Meanwhile, Championship clubs often believe they can steal your unwanted players at bargain prices.
| Nectarios Triantis Sunderland statistics | |
| Signed | June 2023 |
| Appearances | 5 |
| Goals | 0 |
Sunderland don’t appear to have fallen into this trap yet. Granit Xhaka appears thrilled to play at the Stadium of Light. The other new signings seem grateful for an opportunity to play in the Premier League.
The Mackems may have lost Jobe Bellingham, but they received £27m upfront for him, and the Triantis negotiations show that they won’t be bullied into selling their players on their cheap.
There’s still work to do, but Sunderland fans should be proud of their team’s efforts in the transfer market so far.
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