Sunderland should welcome offers for 29-year-old in January: View | OneFootball

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Sunderland will be looking to keep up in the race for a play-off spot when the Championship returns to action this weekend.

The Black Cats hit a bit of a poor run of form a few weeks ago, but went into this international break winning two of their last three league games.

Many may have expected Sunderland to slide away as they lost a few key players in the summer, with Amad Diallo returning to Manchester United and Ross Stewart joining Southampton.

However, that hasn’t been the case, as Tony Mowbray’s men have been very solid, picking up 26 points in their 16 league games so far this season.

Mowbray will be focused on what Sunderland are going to do in their next set of fixtures, but he will also be getting his plans ready for January, as he will no doubt eye several incomings.

But with the club possibly eyeing new arrivals, it could be that one or two players leave the club, and, in that case, the Black Cats should be looking to welcome offers for Bradley Dack in January.

Who is Bradley Dack?

The 29-year-old joined the club on a free transfer in the summer after he left Blackburn Rovers once his contract had come to an end.

Dack has only played for a handful of clubs throughout his career, as he started off in Charlton Athletic’s academy before joining Gillingham in 2007.

He played in the Gills’ academy for a few years before making the step up to the first team in 2012.

He had a loan spell at Braintree in 2013, but stayed with Gillingham until 2017, when his form for the club caught the eye of Blackburn.

He was at Ewood Park for six years, where he played 173 times for the club, scoring 57 goals and recording 28 assists. However, his time at the Lancashire club wasn’t easy, as he was hampered by injuries throughout his time, and at the end of last season, Blackburn decided to let the player leave once his contract expired.

So, Dack joined Sunderland on a one-year deal, with the club having the option for another year, but given how it is going, the Black Cats may be wise to welcome some offers in January before the end of the season.

Why should Sunderland welcome offers for Bradley Dack in January?

Since joining Sunderland, Dack has only made seven appearances for the club in all competitions, as his injury issues continue to be a problem.

The attacker has played six times in the league, with four of them coming in August and September, but he then missed six games through a thigh injury.

Since returning in the game against Stoke City, Dack has just made two appearances, both coming from the bench, and has played a combined 58 minutes of football.

The 29-year-old has struggled to stay fit, and when he has, he’s not always been first choice in Mowbray’s starting XI. In the summer, it was understandable why Sunderland brought the player to the club as he could be a valuable squad player, but given how it is going, Sunderland may be wise in cutting their losses.

Dack has averaged just a shot per game this season, with him also completing 0.2 dibbles and 1.3 key passes, with his overall WhoScored.com match rating being 6.86 in the Championship.

The attacker has made a steady impact at the Stadium of Light, but it seems unlikely he is going to do much better.

Plus, with Sunderland having lots of young talent on their hands, it seems to make sense for Sunderland to move the player on in January before he leaves for nothing in the summer.

It is hard to say who could look to buy Dack, but there would likely be Championship sides or top-end League One teams interested, and even if they receive a small fee, it would be better than getting nothing at all.

It doesn’t look like Dack will be a firm fixture in the starting XI, so when he is fit, he is going to want to play regularly, and therefore, a move away may be best for him on a personal level as well.