DEADLINE DAY THROWBACK

Although the main focus for many today will be our game against Burnley, it is in fact Transfer Deadline Day too. It will likely be a day for outgoings on Wearside, with Le Bris hoping deals are done early so that there is no effect on tonight – it’s actually the second year in a row we have played on the final day of the window. In this piece I will be taking a look at every deadline day incoming from the last four seasons, seeing whether the last-minute panic was worth it.

2024/25: JAYDEN DANNS

We get off to a phenomenal start in this one with club legend Jayden Danns who never put a foot wrong in a Sunderland shirt… purely because he never played a single minute for the club after an injury was picked up in his medical.

A player that if fit could have been a good signing but in the end, it was a waste of everyone’s time. He unfortunately has still struggled with injury since leaving and has featured just once for Liverpool all season as they manage his return to action. It was a move that was obviously a gamble and certainly did not pay off.

2023/24: ROMAINE MUNDLE AND CALLUM STYLES

We were slightly busier in January 2024, with two incomings and both having massively contrasting impacts on Wearside.

Romaine Mundle is obviously still a Sunderland player and was a key part of last year’s promotion winning side. He initially did struggle to hit the ground running but Jack Clarke’s departure provided him with an opportunity and it was one he grabbed with both hands.

Callum Styles on the other hand was a signing to purely fill gaps in the squad left by injuries. A player who could play across the middle as well as at full-back, his time in the North East is rather forgettable, only on loan for six months and it was during a period where everybody just wanted the season to be over after the whole Michael Beale fiasco. My lasting memory of him was a solid display away at West Brom and that was about it for the Hungary International.

2022/23: JOE ANDERSON

The 22/23 season was our first back in the Championship and was one were like this season, our business was overall incredibly solid. Due to that most of our business was done heading into the final day, with only one real position standing out, a striker.

This was of course due to Everton recalling Ellis Simms and Ross Stewart picking up a season-ending injury. That left us with a rather unknown quantity in Joe Gelhardt as our only natural number nine. So, the obvious thing to do in that situation would be to sign a 21-year-old centre back who had never played a senior game before.

In the end we decided against going for a striker, likely to avoid any sort of Will Grigg style panic buy. Anderson never really got a proper chance at the club, with a move to Barrow earlier this window after just six league appearances across three years.

2021/22: JERMAIN DEFOE AND JAY MATETE

What an absolute gem the 2022 Deadline Day was. In hindsight the two signings of that day did not actually workout, but I will remember that night for the rest of my life. Who would know the parents’ door at the Academy of Light would become so iconic as Wee Phillie attempted to turn into Ethan Hunt and Mission Impossible his way into announcing the return of Defoe.

From mistaking Matete for Defoe, to actually breaking the news before Sky as the 39-year-old pulled up at the training ground, it was just absolutely sensational viewing and I am afraid Deadline Day will never be able to get close to that moment.

It became obvious fairly quickly Defoe was sadly past it as he retired in March after just seven appearances. Matete started promisingly but maybe promotion came too quickly for the midfielder as he gradually dropped further and further down the pecking order. Following multiple loan moves over the last few seasons, he joined MK Dons earlier this window where he can hopefully kick on in his career.

CONCLUSION

To sum it all up, if we look at all those names, only Mundle has really succeeded at the club, so if things do get a bit quiet this afternoon, remember that the club have a plan and panic buying somebody who is not good enough just to be able to say we have gotten somebody in, is not how we role anymore.