Vergini will be a key signing for Poyet

SUNDERLAND are looking to sign Santiago Vergini permanently with Gus Poyet admitting the centre-half could be key to his plans of squad rebuilding this summer


The 25-year-old joined Sunderland on loan from Argentine side Estudiantes in January, making 14 appearances in total and showing he was equally as comfortable at right-back as he was at centre-half.

And it is that versatility which Poyet has identified as central to creating the right balance in his preferred squad.

The Uruguayan explained: “In any squad, if we play 4-3-3 – my system – I like to have three goalkeepers and seven defenders, NOT eight,”

“I want two players for place in the other positions, but not at the back – I like to use that extra player somewhere else, so you can have a squad of 23.

“If one of the defenders can give you the option to play somewhere else, it helps you.

“When you’ve got a centre-half who is only a centre-half, you need a full-back who can play both sides.

“When you’ve got a centre-back who can play right-back, it gives you a big hand and I know Santiago can play there now.

“I knew it, having watched him play right-back in Argentina, but he has also shown now he can do it well in the Premier League.”

The recent departure of right-back Phil Bardsley to Stoke City has only enhanced the potential importance to a Sunderland squad which currently finds itself without an established full-back with Andrea Dossena having been released and Marcos Alonso and Ondrej Celustka having, like Vergini, finished their loans.

The acquisition of utility man Vergini on a permanent deal would give Poyet scope to increase his first-team options elsewhere.

And the loose arrangement made when he was was first signed in the January transfer window was that a permanent deal would be looked at if Sunderland stayed up and Vergini showed he could perform in English football.

Both those criteria have been met.

But Poyet says that while he hopes Vergini will consider committing his future to Sunderland, it is not something that can be taken for granted.

“It’s something to analyse,” he told the Gazette. “Every situation is different.

“We just have to see what happens, we don’t know if he’s got an offer elsewhere.”

 

I don't believe we'd have shunted Bardsley & Gardner so quickly if we weren't confident of signing Vergini, done deal for me.

 

Same here

 

This is Sunderland (and a full back to boot) we are talking about you know

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

I know what you mean but we have to put that all behind us ....... all this 'we only do things the hard way' stuff has to end.

We need to become a professional, decisive, organised outfit off as well as on the pitch.

 

7 options for defence? So no we won't have two for every position in defence, yet again. If he was worried about squad places the we shouldn't have Let Laing go. HE DIDN'T NEED TO BE REGISTERED!!

 

Saw enough of him in those final few games to recognise a decent footballer but I'd like to see him challenge central positions as he will be found out at full back IMO.

Now we have seemingly brought in the lad Jones for that right back role, I'm confident Vergini will indeed become a key player next season.

 

But he's Not a full back - he's a centre half - he was played at full back to cover whilst Bardo was banned - He'll play Centre Half for us next season I reckon

Agree totally - although I don;t think that was Poyet's decision

 

Well from that op weather we like it or not he'll be right back cover.

 

TBH mate, the players should all be cover for each other to a degree.

Colback and Alonso are switchable in my opinion and I'd be happy with Vergini and Jones to become interchangeable etc etc etc.

 

Yeah he's cover for RB but he's a centre-half who can play at RB from what gus is saying and not just cover in case a right back gets injured

 

But I don't want a CB covering at rightback, I want a 2nd rb at the club to come in.

 

So do I and there's plenty of time.

It's still good to have players who can perform in more than one position.

Our lass agrees, dunno what she's talking about tbh .........

 

I want two for every position myself. Only we to keep every player in their toes knowing there's a natural replacement that can keep them out of the team.

One rb in the squad with cover coming from other positions will weaken us imo. We've been doing this for years and it's always been a problem, yes players who cover out of position have proved competent, but at the same time it's always hindered us in other aspects of the position. Vergini and Colback did great at fullback, they were very safe, yet their attacking capabilities from that position are extremely limited, not much good when you're relying on fullbacks to provide the attacking width.

 

TBH mate, I doubt we'll ever have 2 sets of specialist players, not next season anyway.

BTW, talk around the campfire is the Jordan Mutch is being signed.

 

But Poyet has said he prefers 7 defenders in the squad to 8. Do the maths fella, he prefers to be short at the back and rely on versatility to free squad numbers for attacking players. We could have all the time in the world mate, we're still not going to get two for every position across the back.

 

That isn't the big deal for me it seems to be for you tbh.

How many times will we be more than 1 defender down with injury/form/suspension?

I'm assuming we'll keep Colback and, if so, I wouldn't have too many sleepless nights over it.

 

We had it last season

Bardo-Celuska
Brown-Vergini-O'Shea-Cuellar
Alonso-Dossana

8 defenders, same again for me but up the quality of the players at our disposal.

Had a decent season Mutch.

 

Often then we can rely on versitile players.