I think it is fair to say that Sunderland boss Steve Bruce isn’t exactly flavour of the month at the moment. Things were going swimmingly well before Christmas but since then the wheels have come off somewhat.
The loss of Darren Bent has clearly had a massive effect on the side, as their form has slumped to seven games without a win. The impact of losing Bent is strange to explain however since they still have a fine collection of forward players who you would have thought would have fired them to more victories.
Their form is clearly cause for concern, a lot of their goal scoring threat these days is carried by Ghanaian forward Asamoah Gyan who in his first season in England has been in devastatingly good form, it appears today however that they might have a battle on their hands to keep him this Summer.
Talksport are reporting today that Bayern Munich may move for the player at the end of the season. It is thought that they are ready to offer Steve Bruce more than they originally paid for the rapid striker, and this could sorely test the clubs resolve.
There are clearly some financial worries for the club, Niall Quinn has spoken before about the problems caused by the low attendances, and the sale of Bent was supposedly for financial reasons. It is understandable that Sunderland fans are now worried that another of their prized assets could be on the move this Summer to further balance the books.
The loss of Gyan can not really be understated, he has scored 9 goals this season and after Bent he is there top goal scorer. If he were to move this Summer they would be in dire need of new forwards, they do have Danny Welbeck, but he is only on loan. Gyan has appeared dedicated to the cause but his success in the Premier League this year may make him consider plying his trade at a higher level, his performances at international level have also demonstrated that he has the potential to be a top striker.
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If Sunderland were to cash in this Summer, it would send a bad message to their fans, it would suggest that even though they are under new ownership they are still a selling club, and they rightfully have ambitions to be more than that. Obviously they would receive a lot of money should Bayern move for the player, and maybe they could strengthen from it, but anything less than £20million to me personally would be a bad move.
Bayern themselves are in a race to qualify for the Champions League and it is definitely not a foregone conclusion, however the temptation for Gyan would understandably be strong, but I personally hope that he stays with Sunderland and tries to help them move forward because two top strikers leaving the Stadium of Light in one season would really be difficult for their fans to stomach.
For more of my thoughts on the latest transfer rumours, follow me on twitter @soccercityjoe!
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