It's the side story that won't seem to resolve itself. The contract. The Achilles. No recognised fit and healthy strikers. Will he go or will he stay? We've all been asking each other the same question over the past few months during many discussions over a pre-match pint or through a concerned group chat. Just what sort of a season will this be exactly, for Sunderland's talisman Ross Stewart? Will he remain on Wearside?
Will he stay or will he go? Time will tell, and the clock is ticking.
The club's Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman has this week provided an update on Stewart's situation, whereby he addressed the rehabilitation that the big Scotsman is currently undertaking. Speakman has confirmed it will be a race against time in order for him to be fit for the season's opener against Ipswich on 6th August. Speakman has said it is unlikely that Stewart will have fully recovered in time to play a part in that fixture, and that his fitness remains a priority over any ongoing contract talks. Hopefully he can get much needed minutes in some capacity during the pre-season campaign.
As well as injuries, the contract situation has been a big source of frustration for Sunderland fans, and would surely have been resolved one way or another should Stewart had not had an injury hit campaign last term. We mustn't forget the possibility of him being sold last summer and then again in January, with Rangers and several Premier League clubs showing a keen interest.
I did find one little snippet of information that Speakman mentioned which was very interesting, when he remarked that the club had been in contract discussions with Dennis Cirkin for an equal length of time in comparison to Stewart. The fact that Cirkin has now committed his future to SAFC is obviously the end result that all parties desired, including the fan base. He has become a key player in this young Sunderland side. Whilst 99% of us are not privy to contract negotiations and how it all works in the professional game, as an outsider looking in, the fact that Cirkin signed on the dotted line bodes well for the future when we think about where we're at with Ross Stewart. Players want to sign for SAFC, and the vast majority of them want to hang around for a longer spell. It is of course worth remembering that every situation with any player is a unique and complex one.
Where does all of this leave Sunderland exactly? Well, in all honesty, it doesn't really change too much. It is business as usual. The need for options in the final third is an obvious one. We simply can't leave ourselves short in that area for another transfer window. Granted, the club were hugely unfortunate with injuries last term, particularly attacking-wise, but as we've seen with our acquisitions in the last two years, the club is very much moving in the right direction on that score. We have unearthed some gems. I wholeheartedly trust them to bring in the right players to the football club. Luis Semedo has been brought in from Benfica and brings much needed fire power, and it's no secret that SAFC are keen to bring back Ellis Simms, this time on a permanent basis. The Jobe Bellingham signing could be a masterstroke, we will have to wait and see on that one.
In terms of Ross Stewart, the club finds itself in a similar situation to the one it did 12 months ago. If he hits the ground running and contract talks rumble on without an end result, it would be an increasing possibility that he could leave the club, but I find it extremely unlikely that would be during this summer window. Stewart staying put would buy Sunderland some time in relation to resolving the situation before January comes round, because if he doesn't, SAFC will look to sell him in the new year, more likely for a smaller fee that we'd all initially hoped. For what it's worth though, I think he will stay on Wearside. He is loved by the fan base and he is a vital weapon in our armoury. What he offers the team in terms of mobility, work rate and goals is of massive importance if we are to charge towards the playoffs in 23/24. It will be intruiging to see whether he is even the same player after a very serious injury. That remains a niggling doubt in my mind.
