Chemsdine Talbi left out of Europa League squad as Sunderland talks continue | OneFootball

Chemsdine Talbi’s Sunderland future is in flux 12 months after his £20.5m arrival, with talks ongoing over a potential exit. His omission from the club’s Europa League List A is understood to be connected to that uncertainty.

Sky Sports reports that Al-Ittihad are in discussions with Sunderland about the Morocco international, and the Saudi Pro League window remains open. Talbi can therefore depart despite the English deadline having passed.

Including Talbi on List A and then selling him would have cost Sunderland that squad place for the league phase, rather than allowing a replacement. The calculation comes with their European allocation already squeezed by UEFA’s locally trained player rules.

Although young enough for List B, Talbi cannot be registered there because he has not been at the club for the required two years. He therefore needed a List A slot to play in the league phase. He could still be added if Sunderland reach the knockout rounds, when changes are permitted.

For now he is unavailable for the eight league-phase fixtures while talks continue, explaining one of Régis Le Bris’ selection surprises. Talbi, a regular under Le Bris since arriving from Club Brugge last summer, joined for an initial €21m (£18m) plus €3m (£2.5m) in potential add-ons, on a five-year deal.

Source: Sunderland Echo

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