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It has been well documented that Sunderland have very little in the way of transfer funds to spend this January and also very little flexibility in terms of wage budget due to them reaching the maximum allowance in regards to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play restrictions.
Those issues would hamstring even the best of sides but when you add that problem to a club which is currently sitting bottom of the Premier League after a 3-1 defeat at home to Stoke then it only makes the already difficult task of survival even tougher.
If David Moyes is to bring any new faces to The Stadium Of Light this month then he will undoubtedly have to offload some of his current under performing squad to free up the much needed finances required to sign new players.
So with that mind let’s now take a look at three players that could be heading for the Sunderland exit door in the next few weeks.
Vito Mannone
With Jordan Pickford going on establish himself as Sunderland’s undisputed number 1 goalkeeper this season it has left the Italian Vito Mannone somewhat on the sidelines and although Mannone may well be playing as of late due to an injury to the England Under 21 international his future at the Stadium Of Light is by no means secure.
With Sunderland having three senior goalkeepers on their books and Sunderland in desperate need of raising money then it could be that Mannone is viewed as a saleable asset with the former Arsenal keeper now being linked with a move to his Italian homeland.
Both Genoa and Palermo are believed to be interested in the 28 year old and will now look to make their move in a bid to bring him to Serie A. The move could be hurried along by the fact that the impressive Pickford could return from injury sooner than first expected.
Should that be the case then the 22 year old will once again be given the opportunity to go back in between the sticks and add to his raft of creditable performances this season, leaving Mannone not only once again surplus to requirements but nearer to a departure from the club.
Fabio Borini
Another Italian who could be making a move away from Sunderland this month is that of Fabio Borini, it’s not necessarily a departure that David Moyes is in a hurry to see happen but again he will look at Borini as one of the few players that could command a decent transfer fee.
The 25 year old former Chelsea and Liverpool forward is being closely monitored by both AC Milan and Roma, while Borini has added his own fuel to the fire by spending time with fans of the club from the Italian capital last weekend. Something that will get the rumour mill working overdrive on Wearside.
Last season Borini chipped in with some crucial goals towards the end of the season as Sam Allardyce masterminded survival but this time around the Italian international has had little impact as his side sit at the foot of the table.
His 5 appearances in the league this season have warranted just a single goal and perhaps Borini will now make way in a bid to freshen up an attack line that cannot simply rely on Jermaine Defoe to score the goals which could get them out of trouble.
Wahbi Khazri
The final player who could be making their Sunderland exit this month is Wahbi Khazri. Only bought to the club this time last year by Sam Allardyce he has been all but frozen out of first team matters this season by current boss David Moyes.
The Tunisian international made a positive impact last season as he went on to make 14 appearances for the club. In which he managed to score two vital goals for the club. Unfortunately though for Khazri this season tells an all the more different story.
With just a solitary league appearance to his name this season it is quite apparent that the 25 year old who was signed from Bordeaux on a four year contract does not feature in the plans of the Moyes. Therefore with Khazri not considered for first team action then all the signs point to his stay at Sunderland being shorter than expected.
In a squad which is light on quality and has also had numerous injury problems during this campaign then the choice by Moyes to drop one of his more creative players is a strange one. Ultimately though the decisions lie with the former Everton boss and his next one could well be to offload Khazri and look to bring in much needed reinforcements.
