Sunderland hold a genuine admiration for an up-and-coming forward, but they aren’t the only club who are hoping to bring him to the Championship in January.
Sunderland updates
Tony Mowbray’s side have made an extremely mixed start to the new campaign having won seven, drawn two and lost six of their opening 15 games, meaning that they currently find themselves eighth in the league table.
Victories | Draws | Defeats |
|---|---|---|
Rotherham United (2-1) | Coventry City (0-0) | Ipswich Town (2-1) |
Southampton (5-0) | Swansea City (0-0) | Preston North End (2-1) |
Queens Park Rangers (3-1) | Cardiff City (1-0) | |
Blackburn Rovers (3-1) | Middlesbrough (4-0) | |
Sheffield Wednesday (3-0) | Stoke City (2-1) | |
Watford (2-0) | Leicester City (1-0) | |
Norwich City (3-1) |
The Black Cats will no doubt be confident that they are able to compete from promotion being just two points outside of the play-offs as it stands, but that won’t stop the boss from assessing his options in the market to search for players that he could strengthen his squad with.
Barnsley’s left-winger Fabio Jalo has emerged as a potential target due to his deal being set to expire at the end of the season (Barnsley contracts), meaning that he is likely to be made available for transfer during the upcoming window should he not put pen to paper on fresh terms.
The Portugal youth international was named the Academy Player of the Season at the Oakwell Stadium for the 2021/22 term which shows what a bright future he has ahead of him, and the 17-year-old’s impressive performances have caught the eye at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland showing genuine interest in Fabio Jalo
According to TEAMtalk, Sunderland are keen on a deal for Fabio Jalo, but they aren’t alone in their pursuit of the promising attacker with five other teams additionally looking to reach an agreement.
“TEAMtalk can exclusively confirm that Brighton, Everton and Fulham are among several English clubs showing an interest in the highly-rated winger. Our sources suggest that along with the Premier League trio, Leeds United and Sunderland are also amongst the sides showing a real interest.
“Sporting Lisbon back in Jalo’s native Portugal have also been checking on his progress, so a return to his homeland could also potentially be on the cards.”
During the 2021/22 season, when he received his aformentioned individual accolade, Jalo scored a remarkable 27 goals across all competitions (Leeds Live), which shows just how prolific he can be in the final third.
The Tykes’ “magnificent” left-footed forward, as hailed by their academy manager Bobby Hassell, is also a versatile operator with his ability to play as a centre-forward, right-winger and an attacking midfielder alongside his usual role out wide on the left flank (Transfermarkt – Jalo statistics).
Additionally, Jalo only pockets £550-per-week (Barnsley salaries), so he would be more than affordable for chiefs to recruit – that would make him the lowest-earner on their books (Sunderland salaries) – making this a move worth considering in January.
