The Roar: Will Dan Neil sign a new deal at Sunderland?
Will Dan Neil sign a new deal at Sunderland? Plus pre-season and transfer reflections.
With Sunderland Echo writers Joe Nicholson, Phil Smith and James Copley.
With Sunderland Echo writers Joe Nicholson, Phil Smith and James Copley.
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00:00This could be famous last words, it's one that I'm reasonably relaxed about.
00:06There is not even an ounce or an inkling, the slightest bit,
00:10that this is a guy who's thinking about potential moves elsewhere,
00:13that the club are worried.
00:30Hello and welcome to the Raw podcast brought to you by the Sunderland Echo.
00:35My name is Joe Nicholson and I'm joined by my fellow Sunderland writers
00:39at the Echo, Phil Smith and James Copley.
00:42Gents, how was Sonny Blackpool at the weekend?
00:47Yeah, it was all right actually.
00:49It was amazing travel and support as ever, so it kind of felt like a home game
00:53within the ground and we were right in the middle of it in the press box as well,
00:56which is nice.
00:57No, it was a canny game.
00:59It was the most exciting game I've ever seen in my life,
01:02but it is pre-season, you kind of expect that.
01:05And I thought Blackpool were a decent test for Sunderland in that
01:10they'll expect to be a sort of upper League One team this year.
01:16Didn't offer a lot going forward in the first half,
01:18but defensively were very good.
01:19In the second half, they actually got in someone's faces a bit
01:21when they brought some fresh legs on.
01:24So, yeah, it was a worthwhile test.
01:26I think there's some positive signs for Sunderland
01:29and definitely some sort of familiar issues as well, if you like.
01:33But yeah, it was a good exercise, I think.
01:35I had a lovely day.
01:36It was nice to get home when it was still light,
01:38which is a novelty which won't last very long,
01:40but it's always good to get back from an away trip and not feel too late,
01:43which I don't think will last too long coming into the new season.
01:48Yeah, Sunderland, of course, winning the game 1-0,
01:51Jack Clarke scoring the only goal of the game four minutes from time.
01:56And Phil, on paper, it probably looked like Sunderland's strongest starting 11
02:00as things stand, with a few weeks to go still of the transfer window
02:04and two weeks to go until the start of the season.
02:07We think that Reggie Libre is going to make a lot of changes
02:10for Sunderland's next fixture on Tuesday against Bradford.
02:14So, kind of looking at the game as a whole,
02:16do you think Sunderland kind of got what they wanted out of the game?
02:18A lot of the players played 90 minutes as well.
02:20I think there was only two substitutions from a Sunderland perspective.
02:23So, did you think Sunderland got what they wanted out of the game
02:26two weeks before the start of the season?
02:28Yeah, to a large extent.
02:30I think that the big positive at the moment is that the team feels fairly settled, I think.
02:36You can see that there's some sort of key partnerships in place
02:39and there's some stability there.
02:41There aren't really any positions where Sunderland have got players
02:44playing out of position or where you think,
02:46you know, I feel really uncomfortable with that player
02:49or the lack of options in that position for the start of the season.
02:52And so, I think that's a really positive place to be in.
02:55Obviously, there's the issue of, do they have a striker who's capable of leading the line?
03:00I think in the Championship, that's the obvious sort of issue.
03:03And at centre-half, Dan Ballard's obviously a big miss.
03:05Hopefully, the little knock that Adjaye Alissa picked up on Saturday isn't serious.
03:09So, I definitely think they're in a pretty decent place, actually,
03:13in terms of where they are two weeks out from the season.
03:16I think Lebris, as we've talked about, has got a fairly strong idea of what his team will be,
03:20bar a couple of positions.
03:22I think Rigo Brown, I think that's a big question.
03:25As I said, Alissa, depending on how he's sort of going fitness-wise.
03:30And then, obviously, up front is the big one.
03:31So, I think in that sense, they're in a pretty positive place.
03:34I think that Lebris was not, I mean, he's a pretty calm fellow anyway,
03:38I get the impression.
03:39But he wasn't exactly jumping up and down that they'd won the game 1-0 late on.
03:42I think he recognised that, actually, Sunderland's Achilles heel, really,
03:47in the last couple of years, has been it's not always been easy for them
03:50to break teams down at home.
03:52Teams that defend in quite a low block, that take a lot of time out of the game,
03:55slow it down.
03:56Sunderland haven't always been able to find the answers,
03:58other than a bit of Jack Clark magic, really.
04:00And I think you can definitely see that that's an ongoing task,
04:04both for Lebris and his Sunderland team.
04:07Because, I don't know, they created more than enough chances to win the game.
04:11We shouldn't be negative.
04:12They did create enough.
04:13There were some big chances that went big, and they did deserve to win.
04:17But they're certainly not carving teams open at the moment.
04:20So, that's definitely an area where I think there'll be a lot of focus
04:23in the next couple of weeks ahead of the season.
04:25But certainly, fitness and selection-wise,
04:28I think the squad is in a pretty decent place, I think.
04:31And I think to be able to name seven or eight players who are going to start
04:34this far out and feel pretty confident about most of them,
04:37I think is a decent place to be, to be fair.
04:40Yeah, we mentioned on the last podcast, James,
04:42about kind of Sunderland's strongest starting XI.
04:45It looks like the team's kind of taking shape ahead of that Cardiff game.
04:48Phil mentioned there that probably seven or eight players are probably
04:51locked in, barring kind of any injuries.
04:54We kind of know the team that's probably going to start against Cardiff,
04:57most of them.
04:58Probably the two main positions are, who's going to start in central midfield?
05:01Is it going to be Alan Brown, or is it going to be Chris Rigg
05:03alongside Dan Neal?
05:05The centre-back, potentially, with Elise getting the knock on Saturday.
05:09Will he be ready for the start of the season?
05:11I think it sounds like it was just a precautionary run.
05:13He's probably in pole position for that slot.
05:16And then the striker one, will it be Mayende?
05:19Will it be Roussing?
05:20Could Sunderland even bring in another striker in the next two weeks
05:23and maybe start with someone else up top?
05:25So how kind of encouraging is it that there is kind of a settled side there?
05:28And where do you kind of see the main kind of positions,
05:32where there is a bit of competition and we're still not quite sure
05:35who could start in those slots?
05:38It is encouraging.
05:39I think with Elise, obviously, he went off at half-time,
05:42but it does look like that was just precautionary.
05:44He actually came out and spoke to me in Barnes.
05:47He just had a little chat with us, and he said he'd been in the shower
05:50for 20 minutes after being subbed off.
05:52It didn't sound like he'd had any sort of major treatment,
05:54and the way he was talking was that he would expect to start
05:59the Cardiff City game.
06:01So I don't think that's too much of a worry, obviously.
06:03He might get assessed and it might throw something up,
06:05but it did just sound like it was a knock.
06:07I thought the Chris Rigg-Alan Brown thing was really interesting.
06:10In preseason so far, I've very much been Chris Rigg deserves to start it,
06:14and I would still probably lean towards that.
06:17But I think what you get with Chris Rigg will be quality going forward,
06:24adventurous, wants to prove himself, work rate, talent, quality.
06:28And perhaps the area of his game that will need to be developed
06:33is that know-how, that defensive work.
06:37I thought Alan Brown displayed that magnificently against Blackpool.
06:40He also displayed that he could go forward,
06:42but when Hulme was dropping into midfield,
06:44Alan Brown recognised straight away that he needed to be up right back,
06:48and he was filling in gaps.
06:49He looked so composed on the ball.
06:50He's quite physical as well, actually.
06:52So I find that really, really interesting, that Chris Rigg
06:55versus Alan Brown.
06:56How do you want to play it against Cardiff City?
06:58An away game as well.
07:00So, yeah, I find that fascinating,
07:03and it will be really interesting to see what Lebris does on the first day,
07:06whether he sort of sticks or twists.
07:09Up front, who knows, really?
07:11I think Mainder did okay, probably should have scored.
07:14I think we said on the On The Whistle video that he's willing,
07:18and he puts himself around, and he runs, and he makes good runs.
07:21But he's just lacking that championship quality and the experience
07:25and the know-how that playing a lot of games will get you.
07:28Will Sunderland have a striker in and ready to go before Cardiff?
07:32I think it's a big question,
07:34and the way Sunderland's striking story has gone over the past
07:38sort of three, four, five windows,
07:40you wouldn't sort of bet on it, would you,
07:42even though a couple do sound close?
07:45So, yeah, and even if Sunderland signs somebody in the coming week,
07:50would they be ready for Cardiff?
07:51Would they be slightly behind the group?
07:53If it was Alexander Amendi, we know he's been training by himself.
07:56So there are a lot of questions.
07:58It is good to see a settled side.
08:00I do think Jack Clarke will be here against Cardiff,
08:02which will probably be a huge boost.
08:04But for all the good play, for all the good build-up play,
08:09for all this has been a decent pre-season,
08:11I do think you are only as good as your strikers at times,
08:14and we saw Sunderland have a very good,
08:16technically proficient team at times last season.
08:19But especially under Mowbray, they just lacked that cutting edge.
08:23It was goals that was the problem.
08:25From a striking area, obviously, you had Jack Clarke score a lot.
08:28So I think we just need to see that.
08:30I'm reluctant to call it the final piece of the puzzle
08:32because I think Sunderland could improve further,
08:34but we really do need a goal-scoring striker for me coming into the season,
08:37and it's hard to get away from that.
08:39And it's hard to say anything new about it
08:41because we've all been talking about this for a long time now.
08:44And, yes, we can look at other aspects of the team,
08:47other areas of the team and be quite excited,
08:49but it does feel like it comes down
08:51to whether Sunderland can get a striker in or not.
08:54Yeah, James mentioned it there, Phil, I think as well.
08:56If Sunderland do bring in another striker
08:58in the next two weeks before the start of the season,
09:01probably they're going to need to get up to speed
09:03and they're going to need a little bit of time
09:04to kind of mix with their team,
09:06especially if they're coming in from overseas
09:07and it's not kind of a player that maybe people are familiar with
09:10from the Championship.
09:12But at the minute, judging by kind of the squad selection,
09:15it looks like Mienda's got the shirt.
09:17So do you feel confident with him leading the line
09:19for kind of the first couple of weeks?
09:21He is still only 19.
09:22He's been out on loan to Hibernian last season.
09:25Struggled there, but we have seen glimpses of him
09:27when he has played in the Championship
09:28that he has got something about him.
09:32I've been impressed with his performance as I have.
09:34I mean, I just don't think it's realistic
09:36for him to be sort of the main man for 46 games.
09:38I think that's too much pressure.
09:39But I also think, like, I think he's shown a lot of development.
09:42I think he's got a lot of good attributes.
09:45I think sometimes, like, it's easy,
09:47especially because of the year we had last year,
09:49and I do still think it's an issue,
09:50but it's an easy when a striker doesn't score in a game
09:53to say, like, oh, you know, they didn't do well enough.
09:55Sometimes it's a game of fine margins.
09:57Like, Mienda's, like, a couple of inches away
09:59from scoring Clark's goal.
10:00He's actually in basically the right position for that.
10:03You know, he did score on the brink of half-time,
10:06but it was Elisa who was offside.
10:07But again, he was in the right position to tap in.
10:09He had one kind of pot shot that only just flashed wide,
10:12actually, in the second half.
10:13So I'd be quite, I think, you know,
10:16there's two big games coming up on this one,
10:18because Rooston, obviously, will play against Bradford
10:20tomorrow night.
10:21So far, he hasn't quite done it in this preseason,
10:23so it's a big, it's kind of his last chance, really,
10:25to try and bang the door down for that game.
10:27And I would expect that Mienda will play against Marseille,
10:30and if he does well, I think he'll start,
10:32because I think it's hard, even if this,
10:33unless somebody comes in the next couple of hours,
10:35which, you know, doesn't look likely as we sit here.
10:37You know, I don't think they're going to be able
10:39to start the game against Cardiff,
10:40because I just don't think they're going to have the match minutes.
10:42So I think Mienda, you know,
10:44depending on what happens in the next couple of games,
10:45deserves an opportunity.
10:46Do I think that Sunderland can realistically expect him
10:49to do it over 46 games? I don't.
10:51But I do think he deserves a lot of credit
10:54for the way he's gone about this preseason.
10:56And sometimes you have to flip it as well,
10:57because I think because Sunderland paid money for him
10:59and he came from abroad,
11:01you almost judge him as expecting to hit the ground running
11:03from day one.
11:04Actually, if you flip it and say he's a 19-year-old,
11:07if he was a homegrown Sunderland Academy player,
11:09he'd produce the performances that he did on Saturday
11:11against Nottingham Forest.
11:12We'd be going, there's a real player here.
11:14This is a really exciting young striker.
11:16Loads to improve, loads of aspects to his game
11:19that he can get better at.
11:21But actually, he's got a lot in his locker for it
11:23for a 19-year-old forward.
11:24So I think he deserves a lot of credit
11:26for what he's doing at the moment.
11:27I don't have any major issues if he starts against Cardiff.
11:30I think he can do a job.
11:31I think he's shown why he's not a poacher.
11:34He doesn't quite massively have that instinct yet.
11:37I think he has got something about him.
11:39I don't disagree with anybody who says
11:41it's the biggest issue right now.
11:43Sunderland definitely go and get an experienced striker.
11:46I completely agree.
11:47But I do think Mienda deserves a little bit of chance
11:50on what he's doing.
11:51I'm not sure I'd be rushing to sign a new long-term deal.
11:54The main thing is that he's motivated
11:56and that he's playing well.
12:04One player who has come in, James,
12:06since the last pod we recorded is Ian Paveda.
12:09He wasn't involved against Blackburn at the weekend.
12:13Former Leeds winger.
12:14Was on loan at Sheffield Wednesday last season,
12:17in the second half of last season.
12:18Made 10 appearances for them
12:19and was quite highly rated at Hillsborough.
12:22But what are your kind of initial thoughts on him?
12:24A player with championship experience already.
12:27He's played in the Premier League with Leeds,
12:28but just wasn't kind of able to break into the first team there.
12:32But looks like a very talented player.
12:33Has had his challenges with injuries.
12:35But what do you make of that signing?
12:37I think that's a really interesting sign.
12:40I think if you cast your minds back
12:42to when we signed Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts,
12:45there was perhaps a little bit of uncertainty
12:47about those two players.
12:50Because they'd been at big clubs,
12:52they'd had big moves,
12:53they'd played for big clubs as well.
12:55But they'd lost their way a little bit.
12:56Obviously, Patrick Roberts had that good spell at Celtic
12:58and then he had the Manchester City move,
13:01he was at Celtic on loan.
13:02But after that, he drifted a little bit.
13:03He'd been here, there and everywhere on loan.
13:06Sunderland picked him up.
13:07It was similar with Clarke.
13:08He had that big move to Tottenham
13:10and went back on loan to Leeds.
13:11And then it didn't work out for him on loan
13:14at a few other different places.
13:16And when Sunderland picked up those two players,
13:19they were by no means sort of certain bets.
13:22And you would say that by and large,
13:23both have been a success for Sunderland.
13:25And I do see a lot of similarities in terms of the profile.
13:28Obviously, Pervade is a little bit older than those two,
13:31but he has been around the block a bit.
13:33But he still managed to pick up a little bit
13:35of championship experience.
13:36I think the one thing that concerns me is his injury record.
13:39I think if Sunderland can get him sort of fit and healthy,
13:43settled and playing, I do understand the logic
13:46because you've sort of done it with Clarke and Roberts.
13:48You upskill these players.
13:49You give them a chance.
13:50You give them a home.
13:51It's a massive vote of confidence.
13:52Obviously, a contract of three years,
13:54plus a club option for another.
13:56So essentially, a four-year deal.
13:58So I think his ceiling is obviously quite high.
14:00He's been at Chelsea.
14:01He's been at Arsenal, Barcelona, Brentford, Man City.
14:03So hopefully, he just needs that home.
14:05He needs to be loved, perhaps.
14:07I think he'll definitely get that at Sunderland
14:09if he starts producing the goods.
14:13I do find it interesting in terms of Liberese's squad
14:16because obviously Patrick Roberts is probably going to start the season
14:19on that right wing spot.
14:21And I think it's good for Roberts to have some really intense competition
14:27just to sort of up his game.
14:29I think that's vital for Patrick Roberts
14:31and sort of keeping him motivated.
14:34I think it's interesting for maybe a player like Abdullah Bahr.
14:37Where does he stand now?
14:38Because he had a decent season last season in terms of numbers.
14:41But now with Pervade there, as well as Roberts' fit now,
14:44you start looking at that and you're wondering
14:46what the future holds for him.
14:47Is it on the right wing?
14:48Is it in the centre?
14:50We know he was brought to the club as a centre midfielder,
14:52but it didn't look like to me that that was going to work out.
14:55So I think it's a side that I'm definitely in favour of.
14:57I can definitely see the upside of it.
14:59It does come with a few risks.
15:01I do genuinely believe that.
15:03Obviously, there's a reason why Pervade has maybe bounced around
15:06a lot of clubs, but hopefully someone can get in play
15:09and can sort of work with him.
15:13But it does leave a couple of question marks
15:15in terms of the squad for me as well.
15:16We've seen recently Dan Ballard signing a new deal.
15:20Another player that has been offered a new deal is Dan Neal.
15:24We understood that he turned down an initial offer.
15:26I think that was before Labrie was appointed as well.
15:29So some time has passed since then.
15:33But a very key player, you gave him out of the match on Saturday.
15:37Again, he was a huge player for Sunderland last season.
15:39I think he made 42 starts out of 46 league games
15:42and is a very important player in that kind of number six
15:45holding role where Sunderland haven't kind of had
15:47that natural replacement really since Corey Evans' injury.
15:50So where do we kind of stand with Neal's contract
15:53and the offer that Sunderland have made to him?
15:57Yeah, this could be famous last words.
16:01It's one that I'm reasonably relaxed about.
16:04Neal is playing unbelievably well in pre-season.
16:07He looks really sharp.
16:09He looks as good as I've ever seen him, to be honest.
16:12He's got an absolute central role in the team.
16:14There is not even an ounce or an inkling,
16:17the slightest bit, that this is a guy who's thinking
16:20about potential moves elsewhere, that the club are worried,
16:22that this is a guy who could be going in the next couple of weeks.
16:26Obviously, that can change quickly.
16:27You never know if one Premier League club wakes up one day
16:30and decides they're going to shell a load of money on Dan Neal
16:32and who knows?
16:33But he's got two years left to run on his contract.
16:38He's playing unbelievably well. He's happy.
16:40We all know, because we've all spoken to Dan Neal,
16:42what does Dan Neal want to do?
16:43Ideally, he wants to take Sunderland back to the Premier League.
16:46He set that goal out when he first came into the team
16:48sort of three or four years ago,
16:50and he was made no sort of apology for saying that.
16:53I want to be part of the team that gets back to the Premier League.
16:56So I'm fairly confident and comfortable that I think
16:59that is his first priority.
17:00Now, if I was him, he's got two years left to run,
17:04so I wouldn't be rushing into signing a new one.
17:06It's early days. The signs are pretty good at the moment.
17:10We're hopeful of a good season, but let's be honest,
17:12there's a lot of uncertainties. We don't know.
17:14And so if I was in his shoes, I'm not sure I'd be rushing
17:17to sign a new long-term deal.
17:19The main thing is that he's motivated and that he's playing well
17:22and that he's committed to Sunderland,
17:23which is obviously the case.
17:24I don't think anybody could suggest otherwise for even a second.
17:27So, you know, if you want my prediction,
17:30when the news first broke that Neal had rejected
17:32the initial contract offer, which was absolutely right and true,
17:36the club did kind of say that they felt that it wasn't an end point.
17:41They felt that it was ongoing, there'd be more talks,
17:43they were fairly comfortable about it,
17:45and they were hopeful they'd be able to get something done.
17:47Something they've been very good at.
17:48You can say what you like about this regime
17:50and the transfer strategy and the model and all of that.
17:52They've always been very, very good
17:54at proactively managing contracts.
17:56So honestly, I'm reasonably relaxed about that one
18:00and I won't be stressed if someone go into the season
18:02with that still ongoing because it looks to me like
18:05it's clearly not going to affect Neal's form.
18:07And there is time. There is lots of time.
18:10So for me, I just don't.
18:13For me, I think he will sign at some point
18:16and it's not something that I'm too troubled about.
18:18If we're going into the January window
18:20and we're still having this discussion,
18:21he hasn't signed anything, he's got 18 months left
18:23and he's playing well and teams are looking at him,
18:25then I'll feel very, very differently about it
18:27and I'll be a bit nervous at the moment.
18:29One that I feel relatively relaxed about.
18:32Yeah, as you say there, this regime has been very good
18:35at tying younger players, key players down to long-term contracts
18:39and also in terms of last summer, selling at the right time
18:42in terms of selling Ross Stewart when he only had a year left on his deal.
18:45Obviously, as the longer it goes on,
18:46there probably would be more concern about Neal's situation
18:49with two years left on his deal.
18:51And if we get to this stage next year or in January,
18:55then there'll probably be a bit more concern.
18:56But I kind of agree with you that at this stage, Neal is quite,
18:59he's playing excellently, had a great season last season.
19:02He's playing for his boyhood club and his main ambition
19:05is to get them back to the Premier League.
19:07Just going through some of the other comments, James,
19:09that we've got on YouTube and Facebook.
19:13One here saying, do you think Johnson, which is Zach Johnson,
19:16Joe Anderson or Alise can break up the centre-back duo
19:20of O'Neill and Ballard?
19:22I love O'Neill, but still not convinced about him as a centre-back.
19:26Zach Johnson came on for 45 minutes, didn't he, in the Black Bull game?
19:30He came on for Alise after Alise picked up that injury.
19:33So what would you kind of make of Sunderland's centre-back options?
19:36That's probably one of the positions with Ballard out injured
19:39for the start of the season that's probably up for grabs
19:41for the opening couple of weeks.
19:43Yeah, just quickly to go back to the Dan Neal stuff as well,
19:46I think, as Phil mentioned, it's worth noting that
19:49when news of that rejected contract came about,
19:52Sunderland were without a manager at the time.
19:54I think you've since seen Chris Rigg and Dan Ballard pen new deals.
19:58So if I'm Dan Neal and I'm Dan Neal's camp,
20:00I'm just probably having a little look at the club's ambition.
20:02I'm having a little look at what my colleagues are doing.
20:04I'm having a little look at what my best mate, Anthony Patterson,
20:07is doing, whether he stays.
20:09I reckon if I had to put money on it, that he would sign
20:11some sort of extension at some point.
20:13I think it would make sense for both parties to protect the club
20:17and to reward Dan Neal as well for some superb performances.
20:19I mean, he was brilliant against Blackpool.
20:21I know it's legal opposition in pre-season,
20:23but he was a level above. He was fantastic.
20:25And I think there's an argument that suggests that
20:27Byron, maybe Clarke, is probably the most important and talented
20:31footballer at the club, and he will want to be paid
20:36in respects to his status as well.
20:38He's obviously a senior player at the club now,
20:41despite only being 22 years old.
20:43I think he played 45 times in that first season
20:46in the Championship, 42 times last season,
20:4939 times in Ligue 1 as well.
20:51So he's a regular, he's doing all the right things,
20:53and hopefully that one gets done.
20:55But in regards to the centre-backs,
20:58do I think Johnson, Anderson, Alisson can break up
21:02the centre-back partnership duel of all nine of Ballard?
21:05I'm not really sure. Obviously, Ballard's out injured
21:07for a little bit, so you'd expect Alessi to come in.
21:10I won't get a chance, yeah.
21:12I actually think that Sunderland's,
21:15and this is a conversation we've had for a while now,
21:18I actually think Sunderland's strongest defence
21:22from left to right would be Cirk and Alessi, Ballard,
21:26and then Hulme. It just so happens that Alessi and Ballard,
21:29for whatever reason, never really seem to be fit
21:31at the same time, or when they have been fit
21:33at the same time, you've had an injury at full-back
21:35which has pushed Alessi to left-back.
21:40Or what have you? I think the 0-9 question
21:43is an interesting one. I do really rate 0-9.
21:46He's in the team on merit, he shows great leadership ability,
21:49he can advance the ball out from defence,
21:51he can play it out from the back,
21:53which I think a quality as Regis Lebrie
21:56will certainly value. But in terms of defensive work,
21:59I think Alessi and Ballard could be a real force
22:01to be reckoned with, so it's interesting.
22:03Zac Johnson is desperate to play, we spoke to him
22:06after the game against Blackpool. He's a Sunderland lad,
22:09he's got a lot of quality, a lot of pedigree
22:12playing for England's youth sides as well.
22:15Is now his time to break in? I'm not quite sure yet.
22:18But you certainly want to watch him, he's certainly
22:20got a lot of talent and he certainly did not look
22:22out of place when he came on.
22:24I've had another comment saying, I think we need
22:26another centre-back brought in. Any news on strengthening
22:29in central defence? Obviously Sunderland now,
22:31you'd expect Ballard and O'Neill to be the first choice
22:34pairing. You've then got Alessi that can come in
22:36as kind of that left-sided centre-back.
22:38You've got Leo Yelder there as well.
22:40Zac Johnson got 45 minutes on Saturday,
22:43so there are options at the back there.
22:44Do you think Sunderland need another centre-back
22:46this summer?
22:49I think a lot would depend on what happens with
22:51Jo Anderson, wouldn't it? If Jo Anderson...
22:53Yeah, Jo Anderson as well, yeah.
22:54You're looking at Jo Anderson leaving, perhaps
22:56if he does, then maybe you're looking at it thinking,
22:58right, we need another one.
22:59You know, Sealt's going to be out for a little bit
23:01of time. Triantis, we're not really sure what the
23:04future holds for him.
23:05So, I mean, potentially I still tend to think Sunderland
23:08are reasonably well-stocked in that area,
23:10but I guess the caveat to that is that Ballard
23:13and Alessi have had injuries since joining
23:16Sunderland, so maybe if Sunderland were to have
23:20a little bit of bad luck in that position,
23:21I don't see it as a massive priority at the moment,
23:24but I could see a set of circumstances in which
23:27all of a sudden you're thinking, right, okay,
23:29what could do with another set at the back?
23:57Yeah.