At the moment we have seven players on loan with each of them expected back at SAFC at the end of the season. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to put together an analysis of how each of them is progressing so far in their temporary transfers out of SR5. All the names are in squad number order as they were here in Sunderland colours.
ELIEZER MAYENDA
Spanish youngster Mayenda was one of a handful of departures to leave the SoL on winter deadline day. The 18-year-old is spending the remainder of the season at Easter Road with Hibs. After joining the Lads in the summer from Sochaux, Mayenda has found opportunities hard to come by as he adapts to life in a new country. He made his Lads debut in the home game against Birmingham City which we won 3-1, Mayenda came on in the 74th minute for Paddy Roberts. He has since made seven more appearances for the Lads, with one start in them when we lost 2-1 to Huddersfield Town. The boy from Zaragoza made his Hibs debut two days after completing his temporary arrangement, a half time substitute in Hibs' 0-3 home loss to St. Mirren at Easter Road. He started on Saturday in their Scottish Cup Fifth Round home tie against Inverness Caledonian Thistle but was substituted himself at the interval: Hibs won the match 3-1 with his replacement scoring one of the three second half strikes.
JEWISON BENNETTE
Next up is Costa Rican winger Jewison Bennette who is temporarily on loan to Greek Super League Aris Thessaloniki for the remainder of the season. It's hard to believe that Bennette is not even 20 yet, but he already has 12 full international caps. His Lads debut came in the 3-0 win at the Select Car Leasing Stadium (Reading) as a substitute for club captain Corry Evans. Three days later, he scored his first goal which gained the Lads a point in a 2-2 draw at Watford: he had only been on the pitch 13 minutes! That first season saw him make 18 appearances in total. With Jack Clarke being so superb in Bennette's natural position, the young man has found chances few and far between in his second season with the Lads. He has made just a couple of showings in the red and white, a brief eight-minute cameo when the Lads thumped Southampton 5-0 at home and the first 70 minutes in the Crewe Carabao Cup First Round penalty shoot loss. His last first team action was an unused substitute in the humiliating 4-0 home loss to the Smoggies. He joined Aris on 30 January but is yet to make an appearance for them.
NECTARIOS TRIANTIS
Another newcomer this summer was Australian central defender Nectarios Triantis. The 20-year-old Australian/Greek comes from a footballing family with both of his older brothers Chris and Peter having played in the top division of Australian football. Nectarios was released by his first club at 19, Western Sydney Wanderers after making just a single appearance for them at senior level. Upon his release, Triantis was picked up by Central Coast Mariners and was an integral part of their A-League Grand Final win last season. This led to his move to Wearside with the Lads paying a reputed £300K for his services. His debut came in the Crewe Carabao Cup game, and his first league appearance in the home win against Birmingham City when both L09 and Dan Ballard were suspended, and Dennis Cirkin was injured in the warmup. "Neco" joined Hibernian on loan on the same day as Eliezer Mayenda where he was reunited with his former Central Coast Mariners manager Nick Montgomery. He has featured in all three games since signing, conceding a penalty in his second against Celtic.
JAY MATETE
A combative midfielder, Jay Matete was a youth prospect at Reading but was released by the Royals without being offered an apprenticeship. His search for a new club saw Fleetwood Town acquire his services. His debut for "The Cod Army" came in the 2020 EFL group stages against Liverpool Under 23s but his league bow came on loan to Grimsby Town in the 2020-21 season after joining during the winter transfer window. After 41 appearances for Fleetwood, scoring twice, Jay signed for the Lads on the last day of the 2022 winter transfer window. He made 16 appearances in that short stint and 9 the following campaign before joining Plymouth Argyle on a half season loan and playing an integral part in their League One title triumph. Knee surgery has kept him sidelined for the majority of this season, and he was loaned to Oxford United on winter deadline day 2024. He made his debut for the U's in their 1-1 local derby against Reading at the Kassam. With the Lads having so many midfield options, it's hard to see him featuring on his return.
JOE ANDERSON
Originally a left winger, Joe Anderson was converted to a central defender in his time at Everton. Joe made his debut for the Toffees in an EFL Trophy group stage at Gresty Road as a 76th minute substitute for Tyler Onyango. After the tie ended 2-2 in normal time, the game went to penalties with Joe scoring his spot kick on in the second round of kicks. Ultimately, Everton lost 5-4 in the shootout. In the forthcoming two seasons, Joe would go on to make six further appearances in the same competition for Everton but not make the first team. The Lads signed him on the final day of the winter deadline day in 2023, making his Lads debut as an 85th minute substitution for Dennis Cirkin who had concussed himself scoring the Lads equaliser at the New Den. Joe would make three more substitute appearances before the season against Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Preston North End. The appearance in Preston was his longest stint in a Lads jersey. This season has seen Joe join Shrewsbury Town on a full season long loan alongside former Lads players Carl Winchester and Aiden O'Brien, where up to recently Joe has been a regular in the side.
ALEX BASS
A product of the Portsmouth academy, Alex Bass was on their bench at 16 and made his actual debut for Pompey at 18 in a 3-2 extra time loss to Coventry City in the 2016-17 EFL Cup First Round. Former Portsmouth cult hero Steve Claridge was the manager who took the keeper on loan for an initial one-month loan although the arrangement ended up for the remainder of the season. Bass made his league debut for Pompey on the final day of the following season, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win at Fratton Park against Peterborough United. His best season in Portsmouth colours came in the 2019-20 season where he made 25 appearances in both League and Cup. Loan spells at Torquay United, Southend United and Bradford City gave him more opportunities with him getting 21 outings for the Bantams on a half season loan in the 2021-22 season. Bass joined the Lads in the summer of 2022 but has been dislodge Patto from the Lads number one jersey, and joined AFC Wimbledon this season on a season long loan; with his debut being made in the Dons opening game of the season as they drew 0-0 at Blundell Park with Grimsby Town.
JACK DIAMOND
The only one on this list that actually came through the Lads academy system. A regular in the academy and Premier League 2 side, Diamond was handed his senior debut in the 2018-19 season's EFL Trophy as a substitute. Of that side that night which lost 3-1 to Scunthorpe United, Diamond remains the only one that remains at the Club. He would go on to make two further appearances in the same competition that season. The following season saw the winger go on a season long loan to then National League side Harrogate Town and help them to promotion into the Football League. 2020-21 was to be Jack's best season as a Lads player, making his league debut as a 19th minute substitute for Jordan Willis in a 2-0 away win. Overall that season, he would go on to make 35 appearances in all competitions with his first ever Lads goal being the fifth in a 5-3 win over Carlisle United in the EFL Trophy at the SoL. 2021-22 saw Jack return to Harrogate again on a season long loan with first team opportunities at the SoL, and a similar scenario the following season but at Lincoln City. However, a court case against him would cut that short and he was suspend until it was resolved. In January 2024 Jack joined Carlisle United on loan until the end of the season on 25 January 2024, making his debut for the Cumbrians as a half time substitute in their 4-1 at Bolton Wanderers.
Whether these loan spells mean that the seven players can get back into the Lads first team, well that's open to conjecture. For players such as probably Matete, Anderson, Bass and Diamond it's a shop window of opportunity which might lead to a new club as their chances to break through in the Lads side are quite frankly, minimal due to the names ahead of them at present.
