Sunderland AFC have Championship's best in one position and he is ready for the Premier League | OneFootball

We asked our Sunderland fan pundits about which of their current players should be playing at a higher level

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin has been tipped to become a Premier League player after making an impressive start to the season, helping the Black Cats to top spot in the Championship table.

Left-back Cirkin joined Sunderland from Tottenham back in 2021, and the 22-year-old has gone on to become a real fan favourite at the Stadium of Light in recent seasons.

He endured a tough 23/24 campaign thanks to injury, playing just eight games, but he's come back stronger than ever this season, and it's perhaps no coincidence that his return to the team has coincided with Sunderland making an excellent start under Regis Le Bris.

The 22-year-old has started all nine of Sunderland's league games this season, scoring one and registering one assist, and it's been a timely reminder of just what he's capable of after a disappointing season last time around.

Dennis Cirkin tipped for the Premier League after bright start to the season with Sunderland

We asked our Sunderland fan pundits which of their current squad could play at a higher level than they currently are, and they were both in agreement that Cirkin could play at Premier League level.

Speaking to Football League World, Jack Austwicke said: "I think there are a lot of players in Sunderland’s squad who could take the step to a higher level. You look at Chris Ring, he’s ready-made, and he’ll have big clubs sniffing around him, you’ve got Jobe Bellingham and the likes, while Patrick Roberts has got Premier League quality on his day.

“The one I’d say specifically is Dennis Cirkin, who, in my opinion, is the best left-back in the Championship. Going forward, he is magnificent, overlapping runs and underlapping runs to cut inside, he’s a very good carrier of the ball and he’s also solid defensively. I think he’ll be in the Premier League very soon, whether that’s with us or not. You could definitely see him moving there shortly.”

Meanwhile, one of our other Sunderland fan pundits, Wayne Doran, echoed those sentiments. He said: "We have some great young players at Sunderland at the moment. The likes of Jobe, Chris Rigg, Dan Ballard, Trai Hume are all destined to play at a higher level at some point, but I’m not sure that they’re at that level yet.

"One player in the starting XI at the moment who could walk into a Premier League side is Dennis Cirkin. We signed him from Tottenham a few years ago as a young lad and on his day when he’s fit he’s arguably the best left-back in the Championship.

"Defensively solid, great in the tackle, great at one-on-ones, positional sense is second to none, but what sets him apart is his attacking threat.

“He’s great going forward, can support the winger on the overlap, put some great crosses into the box, and he can even get on the end of things as well. He’s got himself a couple of goals this season by doing just that, and he’s a threat.

"What’s impressive is that he plays with maturity beyond his years, he’s got the composure of someone a lot older, he’s got the qualities of a modern-day full-back, and he’s up and down the pitch with the contribution to attacks but also the gritty work when needed.

“Overall, Dennis Cirkin is the one that I feel could walk into a lower Premier League side right now.”

Sunderland's decision to take a punt on an unproven youngster in Cirkin back in League One has paid off massively, and it's easy to forget that he's only 22.

He played an important role in helping the club win promotion from League 1 back in 2022, and he had no problem with adapting to Championship football the following season, playing 28 times and finding the net on five occasions as he helped his side reach the play-offs.

There may have been concerns that his long-term injury and disjointed 2023/24 campaign could have stunted his development, but that's been far from the case, and he's certainly hit the ground running this season.

Cirkin is contracted to Sunderland until the summer of 2026, but the club's hierarchy should be looking to extend them as soon as they can, as if he continues this impressive run of form, he'll certainly have suitors in January and in the summer.

If Sunderland don't win promotion, Cirkin wouldn't be blamed if he was looking to leave for the Premier League, but Sunderland will be hoping they win promotion themselves and the 22-year-old doesn't need to leave to play top flight football.

It's clear that the former Spurs defender is highly-rated at the Stadium of Light, and they'll be hoping that he continues his impressive start to the season.