Five Premier League youngsters Sunderland should target in January include £20m man and ex-Barcelona wonderkid.
Such was Tony Mowbray’s reputation when it came to developing young talent, there was a time when Premier League clubs were lining up to send their most talented youngsters to Sunderland.
Manchester United trusted Mowbray’s Black Cats with the precocious Amad Diallo. And what a decision that turned out to be, Amad now one of Ruben Amorim’s first picks a year-and-a-half since he very nearly dragged Sunderland back to the top flight.
Ellis Simms, now a pretty reliable Championship goalscorer with Everton, also had a spell on Wearside, alongside the one-time West Ham prospect Frederik Alves.
But, while Mowbray may be long gone at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland’s reputation as the most fertile of environments for player development remains.
In fact, thanks to the ongoing emergence of Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg, Dan Neil and more, that status has arguably been enhanced during the Regis Le Bris era.
Trey Nyoni – Liverpool
The three-match ban incurred by Jobe Bellingham, combined with Alan Browne’s injury issues, exposed the lack of depth in Sunderland’s engine room as Le Bris’ flying start hit a series of speed-bump-shaped draws some weeks before Christmas.
And, with Arne Slot admitting that Liverpool’s playmaking wonderkid needs regular minutes if he is to make good on the staggering potential he showcased in pre-season, 17-year-old Trey Nyoni may be an opportunity the Black Cats would grab with both hands.
Aaron Connolly has not yet found his stride, while Wilson Isidor seems to have an allergy to tap-ins. Therefore, Guiu might be the missing link in Le Bris’ offensive puzzle due to his poacher’s instincts.
Gunners’ Myles Lewis-Skelly
Lewis-Skelly, who will only be 18 in September, seems poised to follow in Ethan Nwaneri’s footsteps as one of Arsenal’s promising young players to challenge for a spot in Mikel Arteta’s first squad. The young left-back definitely did his aspirations of more frequent participation no damage with a superb ball against Monaco in the Champions League this month, giving the ‘assist-to-the-assist’ for Bukayo Sala’s first.
There are a few left-back possibilities for The Gunners, including Lewis-Skelly, Jakub Kiwior, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, but Arteta still ranks them beneath Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori.
Even in Le Bris’s starting eleven, Lewis-Skelly is far from certain a spot. Not with Dennis Cirkin, of Sunderland, playing so well. But, Aji Alese somewhat of a square peg in a round hole on the flank, Lewis-Skelly would enhance one of the weakest areas of the Black Cats’ team.
Kosta Nedeljkovic – Aston Villa
From left-backs to right-backs, Trai Hume has played the entire 90 minutes in all but one of Sunderland’s Championship encounters thus far. On the one time he was missing, that 1-1 draw with Millwall, Le Bris was forced to deploy the versatile Luke O’Nien on the right.
Nedeljkovic, however, would present a considerably more natural answer. An £8 million purchase from Red Star Belgrade in January 2023, the quick Serbian has excelled in the occasional cameo appearance for Aston Villa.
Yet, he remains obviously third choice behind Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa. Should Villa open the door to a short-term loan transfer, a wideman of Nedeljkovic’s quickness and attack-minded mentality might be essential to easing Sunderland’s troubles when it comes to breaking down low blocks.
Djed Spence – Tottenham Hotspur
While considerably older than the other names on this list at 24, Spence finds himself in a similar scenario to the likes of Guiu and Nyoni. A skilled player, definitely, but one who had spent most of the season twiddling his thumbs on the bench until granted a shock start in the 3-6 home loss by Liverpool.
Spence, after a promising pre-season, has only played six Premier League games under Ange Postecoglou in 2024/25. And with Sunderland short in both full-back positions, Spence’s flexibility to play on either wing would come in extremely beneficial.
A £20 million signing from Sunderland’s North East neighbors Middlesbrough, Spence would be a low-risk, possibly high-reward acquisition with loads of Championship experience.
He played almost 100 second-tier matches for Boro, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, flourishing as Steve Cooper lead the Tricky Trees to promotion in 2022.
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