2 Sunderland players who could follow Carl Winchester out the exit door | OneFootball

Following defeat in the play-off semi-final to Luton Town, Sunderland will be playing Championship football again next season.

The Black Cats were promoted via the play-offs in League One last season, but fell short this time around, after defeat at Kenilworth Road.

Tony Mowbray arrived at the Stadium of Light in August to take over from Alex Neil, who had joined Stoke City at the very beginning of the Championship season.

He guided them to sixth place in their first season back at second tier level, using and developing plenty of youngsters in the process.

Sunderland release Carl Winchester

Work has already begun on Sunderland's squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, with 30-year-old Carl Winchester having been released from his contract ahead of next season.

Winchester had been a key figure during Sunderland's time in League One, but spent all of this season on loan at Shrewsbury Town.

Here, we take a look at two more players who could follow Winchester out of the door and depart Sunderland this summer.

Who else might Sunderland sell this summer?

Ross Stewart

The striker is out of contract next summer, with no update as to whether that will be extended further currently.

Stewart was brought into the fold in the summer of 2021 by Lee Johnson when the Black Cats were in League One in a bid to add more of a cutting edge in the final third.

He scored 26 goals and claimed five assists in his first season with the club and helped guide them to promotion via the play-offs, where he scored two of his goals in three games.

Unfortunately, Stewart suffered from multiple injury issues over the course of the season, meaning he has been restricted to just 15 games. However, he scored 11 and assisted three goals in that time.

His stock is high currently and many sides in the Championship and Premier League will have been alerted to his form, and he is out of contract in a year, meaning this may be the optimal time for Sunderland to sell, to guarantee some cash for him.

Unless a new contract can be resolved, there will be question marks surrounding his long-term future at Sunderland.

Should the 26-year-old and the club decide it is time to part ways, he will still command a decent fee in spite of his contract running down. They could be minded to cash in and reinvest the money elsewhere on a new centre-forward.

Will Sunderland sell Jack Clarke?

The winger scored nine goals and claimed a further 12 assists in Championship and play-off matches this season.

He has been a key cog in Sunderland flying up the table, taking huge strides forward in his development in the process.

It could be a sensible move in the short-term, for a side looking for promotion again next season, and Clarke could be a player they choose to cash in on, given his high valuation and the reported interest from Brentford and Crystal Palace.

He will have interest from teams higher up the footballing ladder, and is a Premier League player in terms of his quality already. If a major offer comes in, it's hard to see a world where they would reject it.

Should Sunderland look to sell a key player this summer to help fund their window and improve in multiple positions instead, then Clarke may be the best option for that, as much as fans won't want to admit it or see him go.