Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson has offered striker Will Grigg an update on his future as summer transfer plans start to unfold.
Parkinson will be under a huge amount of pressure this summer to build a side capable of gaining promotion to the Championship after a second successive failure to do so this time round, finishing eighth in the League One table as the season ended via a points-per-game system.
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Grigg, who signed for Sunderland back in January 2019, a move that was heavily documented on Netflix series Sunderland Til I Die, has struggled to live up to his transfer fee of £4m.
And, it was initially reported that he would be allowed to leave the club this summer with a report towards the end of the season claiming the Black Cats would listen to offers.
However, that stance now seems to have changed with Parkinson talking about the former Wigan Athletic man recently.
“Will is a player who, since I’ve been at the club, gets mentioned in every press conference because of the size of the fee and the expectations when he came to the club,” said the Sunderland boss, speaking to BBC Newcastle Total Sport.
“He’s our player and he’s got to come back in pre-season and proved that he’s ready to stake a claim for a place in the team.
“I’ve spoken to him in the last week or so. He’s got to get his personal situation worked out and get up and into the area so he’s not commuting up and down as much, and I really do feel that is important for Will so he can give himself the best chance to justify the reasons we brought him to the club.”
Grigg, who is valued at just over £1m by Transfermarkt, scored once and gained one assist during the 2019/2020 season.
So it seems the fire is not out just yet at the Stadium of Light for Will Grigg, but you have to have incredibly huge doubts that he is going to come good.
Since arriving at Sunderland, the former Wigan Athletic man has had very little impact and if last season is anything to go by, he is simply not the man to turn the club around.
That said, in his previous spells in League One he has been prolific, indeed he has netted 101 times in the third tier so he may be worth one last chance.
Do you think Will Grigg can finally have an impact next term? Let us know in the comments section below…
