An ‘unbelievable’ Sunderland star is now expected to hold further contract talks with the club.
Sunderland will be eager to tie down a number of their prize assets to new contracts this summer, with a large number of them being heavily linked with moves to the Premier League.
The Black Cats had already attempted to extend Jack Clarke’s contract, but it looks increasingly likely that he will move to the top flight.
They are also said to be opening talks with Dan Ballard, who has attracted interest from Everton. At the time of writing it is unclear whether he will put pen to paper on a new deal.
Reports have claimed Chris Rigg is uncertain over whether to sign his first professional contract with the club, Sunderland were dealt an even bigger blow, in regards to one of their most important players.
It has been reported that Dan Neil has turned down Sunderland’s first contract offer following his ‘unbelievable’ season.
Dan Neil could still sign a new contract if Sunderland appoint a manager soon
The midfielder still has two years left on his deal and the club remain ‘relaxed’ about his situation, but they could well come to a much more positive conclusion soon if they do one thing.
According to We Are Sunderland, Neil is scheduled to hold further contract talks with the club, but not until they have appointed a new head coach.
The Black Cats’ search for a new manager doesn’t seem any closer, despite Kyril Louis-Dreyfus claiming an appointment would be made ‘imminently’ last week.
Like Rigg, Neil doesn’t want to commit his future to his boyhood club until he knows who he will be working under.
It now appears that name won’t be Liam Rosenior either, with the 39-year-old being one of many to pull out of the running to take up the hot seat on Wearside.
Sunderland’s self-destruction could force key players to leave
Sunderland are running out of names to actually appoint, and the longer it takes, the less likely it feels that some of their key players will want to hang around.
Once the transfer window opens this weekend, Sunderland could find themselves in a rather vulnerable position.
They won’t be forced to sell players, but they also don’t want the likes of Neil, Ballard and Clarke all demanding to leave because they are another month in without a manager, or they have ended up bringing someone in completely out of his depth because there was nobody else left to appoint.
It’s a very concerning time at the Stadium of Light, and extremely frustrating that Neil and Rigg could well have committed to new deals if the club had already appointed one of their first choice targets.