Sunderland’s start to the season is the envy of the entire Championship, with Régis le Bris’ side earning 12 points from 12 to give fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic despite losing a key figure in Jack Clarke.
Clarke’s departure has allowed them to hold onto other players that can now become the new star of the team, such as Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg, Dan Ballard or Trai Hume.
While Sunderland’s model means that one, or more, of Hume, Bellingham or Rigg could yet be sold for a major profit in 2025, it will surely only come off the back of a positive season for the club.
The two teenagers earning a big sale would come as no surprise no matter what happens, given their names are already being linked with moves to the likes of Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund, according to Teamtalk and HITC.
But if the Wearside outfit are going to have the kind of strong season that supporters want, then it is the likes of lesser-celebrated players like Hume exploding in value that could really signal a positive year to come, and lead to the most major profit of all.
Sunderland’s recruitment model working as intended
Jack Clarke
It was reported by Football Insider earlier this year that Aston Villa and Bournemouth were interested in Hume.
But no move materialised off the back of an underwhelming end to the campaign for the club, while a big offer could’ve arrived had they kept up their early-season form to finish in the top six again, instead of dropping to 16th.
Clarke was sold to Ipswich Town for £15 million, potentially rising to £20 million with add-ons, according to the BBC, highlighting how well Sunderland have become at flipping young talent into huge transfer profits.
The winger was signed from Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent basis in 2022, and this fee represents a big profit on the minimal fee spent to bring him to the club after his initial loan spell with the club in League One.
Whether supporters like it or not, this is the system working for Sunderland, even if it means losing important parts of the first team squad, but the lack of official bids for Hume shows the team still needs to perform on the pitch to generate these big sales.
Buying young players, such as Clarke, Bellingham or Hume, at a low cost and developing them into far more valuable talent by giving them regular first team opportunities means that they will inevitably be sold for big money someday as long as they’re good enough.
