Sunderland AFC appear to have dodged bullet on Cardiff City evidence

Sunderland AFC appear to have dodged bullet on Cardiff City evidence

According to reports, he even travelled to England for a medical. Wearside was excited about the Croatian’s rumoured move, but it never happened and the striker instead moved to Cardiff City for an estimated £1.7 million.

The Black Cats dodged a bullet because the 21-year-old hasn’t made an impression at Cardiff City Stadium with more than half of the season left.

Roko Simic has endured an underwhelming season so far

Simic was loaned to Belgian team KV Kortrijk for the rest of the season after being signed by Cardiff, with club staff keeping a close eye on his progress.

The forward’s loan stint, however, could not have gone worse; before the Bluebirds called him back, he made four appearances for a total of 143 minutes.

Since his return to Wales, Simic has failed to make an appearance and manager Omer Riza has hinted that it will be some time before supporters see him don the blue of Cardiff.

He stated: “He is a good guy who puts in a lot of effort and wants to succeed, but in order to get in front of them, you have to be better than the players in your position. At the moment,

“If you look at his finishing, he doesn’t finish like some of our players can. If you look at his hold-up, he can’t hold up like other players can. He is a willing runner, but we’ve got willing runners.

“Look, he is here and part of the squad, working hard. But for me, he is a long way off starting.”

Sunderland’s Roko Simic decision justified

Even though Sunderland might have thought they lost out on Simic last summer, they managed to land Wilson Isidor on loan, which was one of the window’s best transactions.

With 12 Championship goals and even a permanent contract at the Stadium of Light, Isidor’s time on Wearside has been the complete opposite of Simic’s time in Wales.

Simic is still a young player who might be a valuable addition in the future, but the Black Cats needed someone who could contribute immediately.

After Joel Piroe and Borja Sainz, Isidor is presently tied for third place in the second division in terms of scoring, and his numbers are impressive.

With an expected goals (xG) of 12.69, the 24-year-old is in the top 98 percentile in the division, while his shots on goal are in the top 97 percentile.

Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have taken notice of his achievements, impressed by his performance against Leeds United, even if he has only just secured his long-term future at Sunderland.

Simic has had difficulty making an impression since joining a rival team, as has been the case with a number of the Black Cats’ previous transfer targets.

A transfer to the Stadium of Light might have produced a different story, but it doesn’t seem realistic in light of Riza’s candid evaluation of his present skill level.

Even if he still has room for improvement, Isidor has shown to be a deadly weapon for the Wearsiders and is unquestionably a better choice than Simic.

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