Sunderland: Talks ongoing with key player after latest contract offer was rejected

Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil has rejected a new contract approach from the club, as per Alex Crook.
Sunderland finished 16th in the Championship last season.

The Black Cats had a pretty torrid year and that has continued into the summer as their search for Michael Beale’s replacement has now surpassed the 110 day mark.

Whilst the summer is still in its early stages, for many that is no excuse and it is a big cause for concern.

Even more so now after Crook reported that academy graduate Neil has rejected a new deal.

Sky Sports’ Keith Downie went onto claim whilst Neil did reject Sunderland’s latest offer, talks are still ongoing and Sunderland are relaxed due to the 22-year-old being under contract until 2026.

The inevitable 

Neil is an incredibly talented midfielder. He made his breakthrough in Sunderland’s senior team whilst they were in League One and last season featured in 42 Championship games. He scored four and assisted five from the middle of the park.

It seemed like only a matter of time before Sunderland’s failure to identify and recruit an appropriate head coach to take the job would start to impact their playing recruitment.

It has already been claimed youngster Chris Rigg is waiting to see who the new head coach is before committing his future to the club. The England youth International turns 17 later this month and will then be eligible to sign his first professional contract.

The current situation

Liam Rosenior is the main name circulating the fanbase at the moment. However, new links suggest he is one of a few candidates Burnley are targeting and that again may cause Sunderland some problems.

Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus released a statement last Friday saying the club were in the final stages of recruiting and an appointment was imminent.

However, since then the two front-runners for the job, Rosenior and Pascal Jansen have either been ruled out or linked with another club.

Either way, a conclusion is needed soon to put an end to what has been nothing short of a truly embarrassing few months for those in charge of the Black Cats.

Next season is still some time away, but Sunderland must push up the league and another campaign like last won’t be tolerated by fans.

A top six finish may be a step too far with the future of some of their key players still to be revealed. However, they must show signs they are at least heading in the right direction, with mistakes addressed and lessons taught.