Transfer Rumours The Sunderland Links/Transfer Rumours Thread - Summer 2025

Good footballer - was on the books at PSG / shined at U-17 world cups and Euros
He has excellent technique - good with deadballs / corners / penalties.
He has struggled to find his place and his role - his club - he was on the periphery for us.
RLB decided he didn't want him and excluded a few players from the first-team squad - but he kept working, never shirked, and during an injury crisis, ended up playing an important role for us in a run of 10 games, playing out of position on the LW - he is really a 10 or attacking central midfielder.
Coming in from the cold, he struggled to complete games - 60, 70 minutes before running out of puff but I think he will get that back with regular game time. We were all impressed that he managed to contribute decently in those 10 games.
He has the technique and good ability, should probably score more goals (he was unlucky not to score more for us) - he isn't quite fast enough to be a winger in England and his decision-making could be better at times, but he still has a high ceiling. He could be one of the best players in Scotland next season.

 

Excellent summary.

 

I think he’s spot on. Great effort, never hides and is generally a good player. Technically he is one of our better players and (no offence) in Scotland he should be a very high level signing and certainly one of the top players. I think in a slightly different circumstance he’d have been very important for us last and next season.

 

Yep,it's fair comment lad,and the replies you've had from our lads have been spot on. He's a nice footballer,plenty of skill and effort. It felt like RLB just couldn't find him his position where he could be at his best....competition. He came off the bench, but never really affected anything.We could see the skill and the workrate....never in doubt.Hope he has an upturn in his career with you next season,I'm sure he'll do you well,at least he has some experience of that brutal wind off the North Sea!

 

Takes a cracking pen too

 

Can we loan him back when we play Burnley!

 

Cheers, all sounds really encouraging.
Sometimes there’s no doubt as to ability but there’s perhaps an attitude problem or something going one behind the scenes, definitely not the case here.

Good luck next season, great to see you guys back in the top flight and looking forward to seeing how you get on

 

Thanks really appreciate the analysis, sounds really encouraging and a real professional when others may have thrown their toys out the pram at not getting gametime.

We have the makings of something special at Pittodrie atm, last season was a transitional season and finished of course with a trophy and this coming season Europe beckons.
We seem to be bringing in loads of attacking players this transfer window and the set up and the general approach we have, this lad could be a huge player for us.
Good luck for the return to the top flight, great to see a proper team like Sunderland back there.

 

Cheers, aye he’ll acclimatise soon enough I’m sure to the bracing breeze from the North Sea. Pittodrie can be the coldest place on earth and our first game of the year believe it or not, after playing 20 minutes in a blizzard, the orange ball made an appearance - hadn’t seen that in years!

Anyway, said it already but all really encouraging chat from you guys, give the lad a good run in the right position and he will shine I hope!!

 

Thanks, no offence taken. There can be some outbreaks of technically decent football at times though

Encouraging that you rate him in what I would say is a pretty tidy Sunderland squad.
It’s players such as this we need to properly compete against Celtic and to a lesser extent, rangers up here, as they generally hold all the cards! So the platform is there for him and we are building something a bit special at Pittodrie imo! Cheers

 

“Yama Sharifi”… is that not just Mackem for Omar Sharif?

 

Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce the signing of Reinildo Mandava.

Putting pen to paper on a two-year contract at the Stadium of Light, the left-back moves to Wearside following his departure from Atlético Madrid.

Reinildo moved to the Spanish capital in 2022 and made 99 appearances across all competitions, including 32 last season when he featured regularly in LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League.

His last appearance for Diego Simeone’s Rojiblancos came last month when he lined up against Paris Saint-Germain at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Ahead of his arrival on Wearside, which will come later this month following an extended summer break, Reinildo said: “It is a dream come true because it has always been my ambition to play in the Premier League – and I can’t wait to play for an historic club like Sunderland. I’m excited to meet the team, to fight, and to give everything for the Club. I want to help, to give power to my team-mates, and transmit my experience in the dressing room. Above all else, I want to make people happy and I will give everything to make that happen.”

Born in Mozambique, the 31-year-old started his career in his homeland with Ferroviário da Beira and GD Maputo before moving to Europe in 2015, signing for S.L. Benfica.

He moved to Belenenses SAD in 2018 and joined LOSC Lille on loan six months later, a move which became permanent the following summer and led to Reinildo winning the Ligue 1 title and Trophée des Champions in 2021 - and being named in the 2021 Ligue 1 Team of the Year.

Sporting Director, Kristjaan Speakman commented: “We’ve had to be patient to finalise this transfer due to his involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup, but we’re delighted to welcome Reinildo to Wearside. We feel he’s an ideal profile for our full-back position and his experience is a perfect fit for our squad composition. He’s shown a real desire to join our Club throughout our discussions, and to be the first Mozambican to play in the Premier League. He’s highly motivated by this challenge and he has a personality I’m sure our supporters will connect with, so we are looking forward to welcoming him to Sunderland later this month.”