"£4m seems a bit steep" - Sunderland face competition as interest in Burnley attacker emerges | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sunderland have joined the race to sign Burnley attacker Scott Twine this summer, as reported by The Sun.

The Clarets are back in the Championship, and it seems there are going to be several players leaving the club over the next few months, and Twine is a name that has recently emerged.

Sunderland join the race for Scott Twine

Twine joined Burnley in the summer of 2022 after impressing at MK Dons in their League One campaign.

The 24-year-old came with a growing reputation, and while he is still highly rated, his time at Turf Moor hasn’t gone to plan, having hardly featuring and spending the 2023/24 season out on loan at Hull City and Bristol City.

It now appears as though his time with the Clarets could be coming to an end, as according to The Sun, Burnley are willing to sell Twine in the upcoming transfer window.

The report goes on to add that Birmingham City and Sunderland have joined the race to sign the attacker.

The Blues are believed to have made an enquiry for the player, but they still face competition from the Black Cats, who are to appoint a new manager, and Bristol City, who had the player on loan last season and manager Liam Manning has worked with him on two separate occasions now.

Sunderland should be wary of signing Scott Twine

Scott Twine celebrates for Burnley

As the news emerges that Sunderland are interested in signing Scott Twine from Burnley this summer, we have asked some of the writers at Football League World for their thoughts on this potential deal.

Here is what they said…

Brett Worthington

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Burnley are looking to let Scott Twine leave the club in this transfer window, as the move hasn’t really gone to plan, and for the player himself, he needs to be playing more football than he has been playing.

The Clarets being open to letting him leave gives teams like Birmingham City, Sunderland, and Bristol City a major boost, as the chances of them signing him are significantly greater.

It would be expected that Sunderland and Bristol City have the edge in the race, as they are both in the Championship, but the 24-year-old hasn't been majorly impressive in the second tier since moving to Burnley, with his best campaign so far coming in League One.

Both Twine and Sunderland need to be wary about this potential deal, as the attacker has struggled in the Championship for a couple of seasons now; therefore, it could be said that moving to a team like Birmingham City may be a better option as he can rediscover his form in the third tier.

While for the Black Cats, it is a deal that does have a risk with it, as it will likely cost them a few million to sign the player from Burnley.

Furthermore, if it were to be done fairly soon, it would have been completed without the club having a new manager on board, which instantly could put the player’s future in doubt, as he may not be wanted by that new manager.

But the big risk for Sunderland would be that they would potentially invest a lot of money in a player who has struggled in the Championship, and would adding someone like Twine at this moment improve the club’s attack? It's unclear.

Twine has the potential to do so, but he could also join the Black Cats and continue to struggle in the league, and that leaves Sunderland with a player who, yes, is young and can get better, but is struggling to perform in the second tier.

It may just be a case of Burnley being the wrong club and the wrong time for Twine, but given how that move went, it means teams like Sunderland need to be careful as they could buy a player who continues to struggle at this level.

Ben Wignall

I don't think there's any debate to be had that Twine is a talented player, but perhaps he hasn't made the impact in the Championship over the last two seasons that was perhaps expected of him.

Having contributed to 33 goals in MK Dons' 2021-22 League One season, Twine was of course hot property, and many expected him to flourish under Vincent Kompany after seeing the kind of individuals the Belgian had brought in to play alongside him.

An early season injury put Twine on the back foot though, and he was only really given a chance in the starting 11 when promotion to the Premier League was wrapped up, which showed where Kompany saw the long-shot ace in his pecking order.

Even regular game-time with Hull City last season failed to really get the best out of Twine, and after more injury troubles with Bristol City, Twine only ended the campaign with six goals to his name from 35 outings, which you have to consider as below average for a player with his capabilities.

For Sunderland though, Twine is someone who loosely fits their model at the age of 24 - soon to be 25 - but if Burnley are looking for the £4 million that they paid for the attacking midfielder's services, then that is a big price to pay.

Jack Clarke's expected sale should help towards that however, and with Twine capable of playing in that left-hand side position, cutting in from the flank, he could be seen as a potential replacement for a winger that is surely going to be in the Premier League by the end of the window.

You wouldn't expect Twine to have the same impact, but he has time on his side to make an impact in the Championship - whether Sunderland is the right fit remains to be seen, but £4m seems a bit steep considering the last season's performances.