Transfer windows are a big part of football, and Sunderland haven’t had the best track record when it comes to making profit over this last decade. However, the new owners are determined to change this. So, I thought I’d list our most valuable player in each position.
GK - ANTHONY PATTERSON
This first one is obvious, Patterson has burst onto the scene over this last year and has even earned himself a call up to England U20s. The 22 year old shot stopper has played every league game for Sunderland so far this season, with the academy graduate saving multiple penalties.
Patterson is tied down to a long term deal, so we are under no pressure to sell him - although he's attracted Premier League interest from the likes of Leicester City in recent weeks. Personally, I don’t think we would let him go for any less than £15,000,000 at the moment. English tax definitely comes into play when determining his value. Plus, we've seen previously in the Championship just how important a good goalkeeper is.
CB - DAN BALLARD
At centre back I have gone with Dan Ballard, who has been a great signing for us so far this season. At 23 years old Ballard still has his best years ahead of him, and he is already an established Championship footballer.
Ballard is tied down until 2025, so again we are under no pressure to sell him. At the moment I would say he is probably worth as much as £10,000,000. If he was to leave it would surely be to a Premier League club. I think he's probably already good enough to be a fringe player for a top-flight side.
LB - DENNIS CIRKIN
For left back I am going with former Tottenham Hotspur man Dennis Cirkin. He has been a regular for Sunderland during his time here, and he played a huge part in last season's promotion.
Cirkin has proven that he can perform at Championship level, and at just 20 years old he has his whole career ahead of him. Spurs currently have a £6,000,000 buy back clause in his contract, and I’d say he is worth that, we would probably insert addons if we sold him to another club. English tax comes into play again here, so you can probably get some more money out of him.
RB - TRAI HUME
At right back I’m going for 21 year old Trai Hume, who is now a regular in Tony Mowbray’s side.
Trai Hume is a solid prospect, who is only going to get better. However, he only has 20 Championship appearances under his belt. At the moment I’d say he is worth about £2,500,000, although if his form continues this could rise to around £5,000,000. His value will definitely rise over these next few years.
CM - DAN NEIL
Midfield is a hard one to pick just one player. Although I think Abdoullah Ba could be worth a lot over these next few years, I have to go with Dan Neil. Neil has scored twice and has four assists this campaign, and he has recently signed a new contract that ties him down until 2026.
Again the club are under no pressure to sell him. I’d say he is currently worth £6,500,000 with addons rising to £10,000,000. He is only 21, so we might be able to get more money for him. English tax is a recurring theme in this article.
CAM - ALEX PRITCHARD
When it comes to the attacking midfield role, I’m going to go with Pritchard. He is a seasoned pro, who is almost guaranteed to perform at this level.
He is now 29 years old, so is coming to the tail end of his prime. That obviously affects his value. Not to mention, he only has one year left on his contract. That considered, I’d say he is worth about £500,000. It’s a lot less than the young prospects on this list, but it’s still a good fee for someone we signed for no money.
RW - PATRICK ROBERTS
Similarly to midfield, right wing was another hard choice. Isaac Lihadji could be worth a lot in the future, but Patrick Roberts is ready for the here and now. Of course Amad is worth a lot more but he's a loan player- I'm only including our permanent players here. The 26-year-old is one of the most technically gifted players in the division, with only Joao Pedro having more successful dribbles per 90.
He has secured 4 goals and 5 assists, so far this season, but it’s his immense dribbling that brings him praise. At the moment I’d say he is worth about £7,000,000, he would be a great signing for any Championship club. Roberts has still got a lot of years in him, and he could definitely play in the Premier League one day.
LW - JACK CLARKE
On the left hand side I’ve gone with Jack Clarke. Jewison Bennette could be worth a lot in the future, but at the moment Clarke is worth more purely due to game time at such a young age. Clarke is like a Championship Jack Grealish- he is a very technically gifted footballer, who is great at drawing fouls.
He has 7 goals and 6 assists so far this season, and at just 22 years old Clarke has got his best years ahead of him. At the moment I’d say he is worth about £10,000,00, the same fee Spurs originally paid for him back in 2019.
ST - ROSS STEWART
This position picked itself, as Ross Stewart is definitely our most valuable striker. He is another player who is for the here and now. He has secured 10 goals and 3 assists in 13 Championship appearances this season, with unlucky injuries preventing him from being one of the division's best players.
The “Loch Ness Drogba” only has one year left on his contract, so that massively decreases his value. He is currently 26 years old, so he does have a good amount of years left in him. At the moment though I’d say he is worth £5,000,000 with addons rising to £10,000,000. He would be worth more if we had him tied down to a long term deal. Not to mention, his injury problems definitely play a role.
