Sunderland could sign this German midfielder who’s available on a free transfer this summer.
Sunderland are preparing their team for the 2024/25 season following a calamitous 2023/24 campaign, with several players now on the Black Cats’ radar.
Names like Chris Willock and Ian Poveda have been linked in the past couple of weeks, whilst there’s also growing noise around the likes of Chris Rigg and Anthony Patterson with clubs taking more interest in the Sunderland academy duo.
We could see some drastic changes to the Sunderland squad this summer, especially so with the club still set to appoint a new manager.
Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus are two names under pressure to deliver result in the transfer market this summer, and to make the right appointment for the Black Cats in the long run.
And now we have another player on Sunderland’s radar, Elias Lenz.
Sunderland hand trial to Elias Lenz
An emerging report from German national outlet Bild has revealed that Red Bull Leipzig are releasing a number of players from their U19s set up.
And U19s captain Lenz is one. Bild say that he ‘was in Sunderland for trial training’ recently, having been in the Leipzig set up since 2016.
A right-footed central midfielder, the 18-year-old Lenz stands at just over 6ft 1ins and operates as more of a defensive-minded midfielder.
He’s made 49 total appearances for the Red Bull Leipzig U19s including 23 in the A-Junioren Bundesliga North-Northeast League, scoring once.
Elias Lenz to Sunderland analysis
Little is known about Lenz given the fact that he’s been playing in Germany and has only ever played youth football.
And despite Red Bull Leipzig releasing him, the fact that he’s been the U19s captain and that he’s played a lot of football for them suggests that he’s still a player with huge potential.
Also, the fact that Sunderland have spotted him and given him some trial training reveals to us that he’s someone who’s come up on the Black Cats’ radar, which has recently unearthed some very talented players.
The midfield area is also one that needs bolstering at Sunderland; especially in terms of defensive midfielders, so Lenz could well be someone who comes in and plays a role in the first-team next season.
It remains to be seen whether or not Sunderland go through with the signing, but it certainly looks like quite an exciting one, and one that would also be very exiting for Lenz.
Sunderland remains a very attractive place for youngsters to come and cut their teeth, and with Lenz coming all the way to Wearside from Germany at such a young age, it shows his commitment to the next step in his career.