Sunderland should think twice about selling player who divides opinion: View

As one of the only experienced players in the squad, Alex Pritchard could play a vital role for the Black Cats in the coming months

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, who acquired a controlling stake in Sunderland in the

summer of 2022, established a well-defined transfer strategy for the Black Cats, which has largely been followed.

The club’s objective is to sign young, motivated players that can contribute right away to the first team; players like

Pierre Ekwah, Jack Clarke, and Dan Ballard accomplished this last season.

Jobe Bellingham and other players were added to that this past summer, but Jude’s brother has had the biggest impact

thus far. It’s uncommon for a club manager to have any actual influence

over recruitment; instead, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman is

responsible for making the best decisions.

Just as Tony Mowbray was able to bring Bradley Dack to the Stadium of Light during the summer, there will be the occasional manager-driven signing. When the January transfer market begins, he will be one of only three players in the club’s roster who are 30 years of age or older.

The average age of the Sunderland team has significantly decreased. Additionally, despite being the club’s 2022–2023 Player of the Year, Danny Batth was let go this past summer and subsequently secured a move to Norwich City.

 

Who might be the next person to receive the axe? Alright, that might just be Alex Pritchard.

After a dismal stint at Huddersfield Town, Pritchard sought to get his career back on track. He had previously played Premier League football and had starring performances in the Championship. In 2021, the chance to join Sunderland on a free transfer presented itself.

 

Pritchard contributed 13 goals in the third division during the 2021–22 season

as Sunderland won the Championship, and he scored four goals and provided

seven assists in the previous campaign in a higher division, so it seemed that the

drop to League One was just what he needed.

Despite Tony Mowbray’s expectation that Pritchard would leave, he withstood the

summer cull and continued to utilize the 30-year-old, primarily from the bench, until his resignation as head coach.

 

Pritchard did, however, manage an assist in each of his two rare starts against

Blackburn and Cardiff earlier in the season. More recently, he regained form,

providing two assists off the bench against West Brom and setting up Jobe

Bellingham’s winning goal against Leeds despite starting as a false nine.

Alex Pritchard’s Sunderland Championship Stats 2023-24
Appearances	17
Minutes Per Game	43
Goals	0
Shots Per Game	1.0
Assists	5
Touches Per game	35.8
Key Passes Per Game	1.6
Pass Accuracy	84%
Successful Dribbles Per Game	0.2
Big Chances Created	6
Stats Correct As Of December 15, 2023 (As Per Sofascore)

He may not start as much as he want, but Pritchard still clearly has a use – with his

contract set to expire though in the summer of 2024, there’s a big decision

ahead of expected new head coach Mick Beale and sporting director Speakman.

Pritchard’s experience could be vital in the second half of the season – Sunderland should not sell in January

Given Pritchard’s recent influence, some consideration will need to be given to his future before the January transfer market opens.

It’s obvious that Sunderland hasn’t been eager to hold onto many of its more experienced players, but Pritchard, who is thirty years old, still has a lot to contribute at the Championship level and expertise that many of the team lacks.

 

And with the Black Cats contending for the playoffs again, as they did the previous year, Pritchard would offer a calm presence and a level head in the locker room, something that players like Batth would have done the previous year.

 

Having a transfer philosophy that prioritizes developing young players is all well and good, but there needs to be a stable balance. Pritchard is a guy who can greatly assist with that, especially in close games in the second half of his inventiveness might be able to breach some formidable second-tier defenses during the season.

Pritchard is a player they should aim to retain for the duration of the season, but there may be interest in the upcoming transfer window as teams try to take advantage of his contract situation. International teams can also make pre-contract approaches for next summer.