Sunderland could look to reward another one of their young prospects with a new deal as Dennis Cirkin could follow in the steps of Dan Neil.
Who could Sunderland offer a new deal next?
Neil was recently rewarded with a bumper new deal which is set to see his contractual stay at the Stadium of Light through until 2026.
Another player whose contract situation is being questioned is star striker Ross Stewart, who is set to enter the final 12 months of his deal in over the summer.
However, there are a number of young players who could also see themselves rewarded with a new contract offer as Tony Mowbray’s side look to seal the future of their stars of the future.
Speaking on The Roar podcast, journalist Phil Smith has suggested that 20-year-old left-back Cirkin could be one of the next players to be offered a new deal with the club will be looking at:
“I doubt it’s [Dan Ballard] at the top of their list in terms of, I think Cirkin will certainly be one that they’re looking at because with one year left, that’s not an ideal situation being Stewart is the big priority.”
Does Cirkin deserve a new deal?
The 20-year-old has now been playing his football on Wearside for two years having made the move from the Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur.
And in that time, the left-back has been able to rack up 63 appearances for the Black Cats where he’s returned two goals and three assists (via Transfermarkt).
But much like Stewart, Cirkin will enter the final 12 months of his contract over the summer which could leave the club with a decision to make on his future.
However, it seems as if the club are also keen to secure his services on Wearside following reports suggesting he could be receiving interest from his former club.
The youngster’s game time in the Championship has been halted recently after he suffered a concussion back in February during the game against Rotherham United.
Injuries have been a bit of a problem for the England youth international this season and the fitness issues have limited him to just 22 appearances in the Championship.
But 16 of those have come from the starting XI which does indicate that – when fit – he is one of the main options at the Stadium of Light.
Having also earned the praise of Kevin Phillips, it seems as if this is a player who could have a key role to play at Sunderland for the years to come:
“Left-back is a specialist position and you need someone like him in that role. He deserves huge credit for the way he’s started the season,” Phillips said back in 2021.
