---
title: "Sunderland: Hartlepool chief makes Josh Hawkes admission"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/sunderland-hartlepool-chief-makes-josh-hawkes-admission/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Ben Crump"
section: "League One News"
published: "2020-09-16T12:20:17Z"
modified: "2020-09-16T12:20:17Z"
---

# Sunderland: Hartlepool chief makes Josh Hawkes admission

**Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor has [revealed](https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/what-hartlepool-united-manager-dave-challinor-had-say-about-josh-hawkes-move-sunderland-2972143) that Sunderland could have signed Josh Hawkes earlier in the summer had it not been for a stall in negotiations.**

Hawkes, who saw his contract expire with National League side Hartlepool United at the end of [June](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/josh-hawkes/profil/spieler/488416) was linked with a whole [host of clubs](https://www.teamtalk.com/news/exclusive-hartlepool-prospect-hawkes-braga-sheffield-united-burnley) including Burnley, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough before joining Sunderland.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”292828″\]

Announcing the deal via the club’s official website, [confirmation also followed that Hawkes would play for the club’s under-23 setup initially.](https://www.safc.com/news/academy-news/2020/september/hawkes-signs-for-sunderland)

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THE-BREAKDOWN.png)

And Hartlepool manager Challinor has discussed losing the midfielder to the Black Cats and the deal which he claims has been in discussion for three months.

Speaking with [Hartlepool Mail](https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/what-hartlepool-united-manager-dave-challinor-had-say-about-josh-hawkes-move-sunderland-2972143), he said: *“Hawkesy has been close with Sunderland for the past three months or so.*

*“They initially made contact with the club and made compensation offers which were, poor, shall we say and not acceptable.*

*“But now it’s not something that concerns me, Josh has moved on from the club so it’s not something for me to deal with.*

*“In terms of the club, the people who are paid to do those jobs will do them, I certainly think we should be getting compensation for the move because he was made an offer a long time ago which was not accepted.*

*“Now he’s moved to Sunderland as an under-24 player so that ticks a lot of boxes but it’s not something that’s going to affect me in terms of the squad we’ve got moving forward.”*

Hawkes, who netted [13 times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/josh-hawkes/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/488416) for Hartlepool in 63 games, becomes the second former Hartlepool player to join Sunderland this term after [Kenton Richardson](https://www.safc.com/news/academy-news/2020/august/kenton-richardson-signs-for-u23s) also joined Elliot Dickman’s under-23 side.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png)

The deal is done and that is all that matters. Perhaps a surprise is that Hawkes is not going to be included in the first team at Sunderland to begin with.

The midfielder made a massive impression for Hartlepool and established himself as one of non-league football’s top performers.

If he continues that form for Sunderland’s under-23 side, then Phil Parkinson will surely hand him playing time in the first team setup.

***Do you think Hawkes will become a first team player at Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…***