This season, SUNDERLAND’s scouting squad has set higher goals, and Tony Mowbray has acknowledged that the club is making preparations to move quickly if one of their young talents is courted by a Premier League bidder in January.
The Black Cats have four of the most promising young players in the Championship in Jack Clarke, Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson, and Pierre Ekwah, and all four have recently been linked with potential moves away from Wearside.
Mowbray understandably does not want to lose anyone at the beginning of the year, but with Burnley having made several unsuccessful offers for Clarke in the summer and Neil reportedly drawing growing interest from at least two Premier League clubs, there is a good chance Sunderland’s owners will be receiving formal offers at the beginning of the following year.
If that occurs and they decide to sell at least one of their key players, Mowbray is convinced that some of the proceeds will be used to improve the team, which is why there is now a greater emphasis than before on scouting.
“Recruitment has to be key,” said the Black Cats boss. “I was talking to Stuart Harvey (head of player recruitment) in my office the other day. I think he’s taking three days off, then he’s away all around the world. He was telling me the countries he’s booked into – he’s going to South America, then back to various parts of Europe, he’s going everywhere.
“Why do you do that? Because if we have a scenario where we sell someone for £20m, then we have to be able to buy a £5m footballer somewhere, not a £600,000 player from Ligue 2 in France. We have to be able to improve, and keep the team really strong.
The head coach is at ease with his hands-off approach to player acquisition and trades, and he respects the judgment of those tasked with spotting possible recruits, who have a track record that has been quite strong in recent years.
“I don’t lose sleep at night about who’s going to buy our players or come in with bids for our players,” said Mowbray. “That’s not my job to worry about that. It will be the owner’s and the club’s decision about whether they think the money that someone is offering is worth doing a deal for.
