That’s good because looking overseas was the main reason Sunderland survived this season.
We can have all the skill in the World but in the VARship sorry I mean Premier League physicality is a must too.

Is that not, or not not? I'm not none the wiser. Or am I?

Azeez is a top championship player but as we’ve seen before that doesn’t translate to points and wins in the Prem. Ww had an entire team of top championship players in 23/24 and added a bunch more. It’s got to be a case signing players we know are at the level.

For £20-£25m we could sign 3 players from overseas who are more prem ready than Azeez

Thank god A different path required.

Let's all make a mental note to ignore all speculation especially from the original source of the original story, Alan Nixon who's X account states "creating Football stories" in his bio. Enough said.

Well said, Paulc. Speculation is what it is - Speculation!

Good. There is better out there for less money

This has to be goid news we can all get behind if it means the club are looking above the standard of the championship.

Interesting, clearly we have higher ambitions

No one can be upset if this is true. We cannot take another Championship All-Star team into the Prem, we must be more ambitious and am sure we will be !

Good to hear …

No chit

For the fees being banded about, this feels like a good swerve. Rumours Villa want to pay £30m for him which I'd struggle to believe. Would be far more in favour of trying to sign Coburn if we were looking to buy a Millwall player. Looked a real handful every time I've seen him play.

Yes we can and must do better let's see what the new scouts are like they learn a lot i think from what the new guy at the ladies did fantastic work and kept us up

Had no influence in the play off semi whatsoever. Not ready for the prem, currently way off.

Not too bothered. Undoubtedly has talent, though from what I've seen it comes in fits and starts. If a PL club snaps him up and it works out, good luck to the lad. The problem is we've been bitten before. Better value abroad. I don't think I need tell recruitment that.

Im kind of glad we aint going for him. During the January window I would have loved to have snapped him up and then he could have settled with the team before promotion, but he seems to have dropped off a bit during the second half of the season.

If we do decide to go for a new RW (which I think we will) I wouldnt mind some like Dario Osorio from Midtjylland in Denmark. Got a good solid record the past few seasons with them and the likes of Everton are potentially looking at him as well. Only 22 as well so could grow even more under McKenna

The RW is a bit up in the air at the moment with Burns hopfully staying (even as a squad player), McAteer really improving towards the end of the season but is he ready to step up? (might be more of a impact player next season), Ogbene returning (but can see him moving on) and Egeli (maybe transition to the number 10 role next season or loan out)

Others I really would like us to go for is Troy Parrot and/or Kasper Hogh as a striker and Hackney. Of course there will be more we need but these are definants I would like to see

Crazy that he was good enough 4 months ago and now he's not, so what was the plan once promoted? Sell him? We make some bizarre moves sometimes.

Donyell Malen or Devyne Rensch of Roma, Marten de Roon of Atlanta, Summerville of relegated West Ham, Sem Stejn of Feyenoord, and Ernest Poku of Bayer Leverhusen would any or all bee suitable for the ITFC in the Premier League. We need some quality that cahmpionship players wont have yet?

I think signing a good Championship player into an established EPL side isn’t a problem, the player gets the benefit of playing with quality established players at that level. The issue is when you stack your side with them, without the benefit of players good enough to help them make that step up.

So, Azeez could do quite well at a Villa (for instance), but probably not the player for us at the current time.

@kiwitractor valid point, Clarke, Philogene and Mehmeti could all be considered in the same category, they all have something to prove in are they good enough for the EPL, in a side that may not have the overall same level of quality as an expected top half team.

Yesterday you reported he was a main target

Today you say not

The clubs either given you a wrap over the knuckles or it’s lazy crap journalism!!!

Says to me we've learned from previous PL encounter, and that we are looking further afield. As for £20+m , its laughable really isn't..every player ( championship level) we inquire about were quoted that price.