Transfer Rumours Summer Transfer window

normally they would quote him

Spurs and west ham are sniffing around Cirkin

 

It's an echo. It was on his patreon yesterday. He's clearly gutted that he no longer has Mowbray or Neil feeding him bits about us, mind.

 

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...verdict-ahead-of-bournemouth-decision-5024221


Chris Mepham has insisted he is “open” to a permanent move to Sunderland next summer but also hinted he will have to consider his options.

The defender’s current contract runs out during the summer. However, Bournemouth do hold an option to extend the deal for another year after signing Mepham for £12million from Brentford in 2019. The top-flight side are expected to trigger the clause to recoup some money for the Wales international.

Recent reports regarding Mepham have suggested that Bournemouth do not see the player as part of their long-term plans and that he will indeed leave come the summer, regardless. It has also been claimed that Sunderland will face intense competition for Mepham’s permanent signature, with Championship rivals Leeds United and Sheffield United previously credited with an interest. Speaking after the game against Cardiff, however, Mepham said joining Sunderland next summer was a “possibility” but also added he would have to asses his options.


“For me, it's about ticking these next 10 games off,” Mepham said when asked if he would like to stay at Sunderland. “We have important Wales games coming up in the summer, and I'm sure those conversations will happen at some point. For me, I'm trying to stay in the here and now and help this team get back to where we belong.”

Asked if it was difficult not to think about his next move in the summer, Mepham said: “Of course it does play on your mind naturally. As humans, we do look to the future. For me, it's been no different, and you do look at options that might be available to you in the summer. It's also important to focus on the now.”


The Bournemouth loanee continued: “I've made it clear I love playing my football here. I love my connection I've made with my teammates and the staff and fans, and if it's a possibility in the summer, it's definitely one I'd be open to. But a lot has to happen before that.”


Kristjaan Speakman hinted in February that Sunderland will look to try and sign Mepham this summer after praising the defender's 'unbelievable' impact at the club.

Sunderland’s sporting director confirmed that the Black Cats will assess the situation this summer and are likely to open talks with Bournemouth over a transfer. "I think Chris's situation is slightly different to Wilson's," Speakman said.

"Chris has had an unbelievable impact, I was going to say the team but it would be better to say the football club. Because of the way he carries himself around the training ground, how he is as part of our leadership team even as a loan player. It just echoes how important he is and has been. I think that's just a conversation we will pick up at the end of the season. From Chris's perspective and from our perspective, and from Bournemouth's perspective - that was always the plan."

 

if he found it tough here doubt he’s gonna find it any easier there

all the best tho

 

Will be interested to know what sort of price Bournemouth would be looking at for Mepham. Would imagine it'd be in the 3-4m range, or maybe even less. Good on one hand, but the difficulty is that the price is likely to be so low that we'll have lots of competition for him (at champ and with newly promoted teams). We still have a tonne of defenders on the books - albeit lots of injuries - and are likely to be on the lookout for new prospects. So I wouldn't consider Mepham to be a player we need to sign at all costs. Hopefully it isn't an issue and he signs without us having to break the bank. It's definitely a positive that he seems to love it here. However, if we're able to hand out a few big wages I'd certainly prioritise doing that with the likes of Cirkin and Neil rather than Mepham.

 

Not going to lie, if we can not make him permanent, I can see some big depressions for me. Big love for the Mep, top class player.

 

More than that, they paid 12m for him in 2019. I reckon around 5-7m myself. They are going to trigger his extension to recoup a bigger fee by the sounds

 

I think, the way he's played, he may have a premier league option at the end of the season. A relegation threatened team

 

If we are to reach the PL...

I think we will need a lot more recruits than people expect. The gap is massive and we will need a good amount of signings imo.

If I put my bias for players aside, I think we need...
- new fullbacks (not sure Cirkin or Hume could cope with PL wingers)
- new defensive midfielder with top-league experience for depth.
- Two new right-wingers.
- Potentially an experienced CF who could be a mentor type rather than starting every week.

Enzo and Mepham would be two very solid starting points to the window too.

The current starters that new recruits come in for would drop to the bench and become depth which is a natural sign of progression. The gap is massive and i hope we take it serious if we do go up

 

I'd be amazed tbh - and we should steer clear at that number in any case. They paid 12m in 2019 and extended his contract in 22. So by the time he signed on loan for us, his value on the books was already down to £1m. Given they've gone to this point without triggering the extension, his book value will be as close to zero as it's possible to get. With him not getting touted to legit prem clubs and being in his thirties by the time he finishes his next contract, I'd imagine it wouldn't get to high 7 figures. There just isn't a market for him at big paying clubs.

 

Don't think it would be a great move for him at the minute as I see Chelsea as a bit of a graveyard at the minute. However Maresca seems to be changing that slowly and it may be better next year once they trim and re set the squad.

 

Not sure I agree. He is 26 and right now an elite championship centre-back. You see those types of players going for more than a few million surely. I think he will have a good few prem options looking at him this summer

 

If he goes anywhere other than a high end champ club or a newly promoted one, I'd be amazed.

Edit: he's 28 in the autumn

 

Chelsea need better than Jobe. They’ve already got enough young talent, should be looking to add a bit experience.

 

Feel sorry for the lad. I’m sure he wants to play and it hasn’t worked out for him here, but how bad must it be to move to Ukraine at this point in time?

 

I agree with a lot af that. After all Bournemouth had decided that he's not good enough for them and given his age he isn't going to improve that much.
Which sort of rings alarm bells in so far as he was clearly a level above the centre half's we had, and still have, when he signed.

 

Not sure he is better than Isidor or Mayenda

 

I wouldn’t want him, we can do a lot better

 

What’s the point like already have Kendry Paez, and Estevao coming in, on top of half of the Brazilian youth team and a squad of like 30+ full internationals most of whom are under 25.