Sunderland are reportedly interested in Hibernian centre-back Ryan Porteous, and the 23-year-old could be the ideal man to eventually replace Danny Batth at the Stadium of Light.
According to Football League World, the young defender is likely to leave Easter Road in January after failing to agree on a new contract with the Edinburgh club, with the Championship seemingly his most likely destination.
The Black Cats, Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion, and Watford are all mentioned as interested suitors in the report, although Celtic and Rangers are also said to have been keen in the past, so the Glasgow duo could provide added competition.
Porteous’ contract situation means that Tony Mowbray would be free to approach him with a pre-contract deal next month, but it seems as if Hibernian want to cash in on the player while they still can, which means that he could arrive at the Stadium of Light in January.
Despite being just 23, the centre-back has already made 151 appearances for Hibs, contributing 12 goals and eight assists, which suggests that he can also offer a threat in the final third.
Should he agree terms with the Black Cats, he could be the ideal man to take over from Batth in the long run. The latter will turn 33 next season, which may suggest that his best days could soon be behind them.
There is no doubt that the former Wolves man is still one of the most important players in Mowbray’s squad, as he has averaged an impressive 6.76 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the current campaign, which ranks him as the joint-seventh best player for the Black Cats.
As per Whoscored, Batth and Porteous have averaged similar numbers this season in terms of aerial duels won (four vs 3.2), interceptions (both 0.8) and clearances per game (4.3 vs 3.6), which suggests that they are both no-nonsense players who put defending first.
John Hughes, former manager of Hibs, spoke quite highly of Porteous’ ability and attitude earlier this year, saying: “One hundred per cent Porto has a target on his back and he’s been hard done by. But that goes with the territory of being a heart-on-sleeve, full-blooded type of player.
“Maybe that’s a reason to get out of Scotland. I don’t know. But at the same time he has been capped by Scotland because he has all those qualities.
“He has become a much better footballer over the last couple of years too. And he is still evolving and will be even better. Nothing intimidates Ryan. Going to Ibrox is not a problem for him. That’s the kind of guy you want in your team.”
Batth has captained Wolves in the past and is demonstrably one of the leaders at the Stadium of Light, as illustrated by his performance metrics above, so Hughes’ description of Porteous will surely remind Mackems of their current starting centre-back.
Considering his reputation and the minimal fee which would be involved, Sunderland should definitely look to sign the 23-year-old Scotland defender next month.
