It seems that Isaac Lihadji's time at Sunderland may be finished before it has even started, whilst some unfamiliar faces have joined the club's training sessions over in the USA...
LIHADJI TO LEAVE?
Reputable French newspaper L'Equipe have reported that Isaac Lihadji is close to making a move to the Qatari Championship. This would be a disappointing move for several reasons - mostly due to the winger still being 21, supposedly massively talented and having spent just six months on Wearside. The line from his former club was that he had great talent but a poor attitude. If he'd rather take an easy payday in Qatar than stay and fight for his place in an exciting Championship team, it says a lot about his mentality at such a young age. Perhaps he's just unhappy with the lack of first-team minutes last season and simply doesn't like it here. From a club point of view, surely it would take an irresistible offer from Qatar to let Lihadji leave after making such a small impact as of yet. They'd probably see it as good business to buy a player in January and then sell him for profit almost instantly.
SAFC HELPING SAFC
It seems that some San Antonio goalkeepers have been allowed to train with Sunderland's squad ahead of their friendly this weekend. An injury to Adam Richardson and Alex Bass leaving for Wimbledon means that 16-year-old Matthew Young is the only SAFC keeper to accompany Anthony Patterson in the States. Some Sunderland fans noticed the San Antonio keepers taking part in training sessions, in videos uploaded to Sunderland's social media channels. This only helps highlight the lack of depth in between the sticks, with a handful of names being linked in recent days.
