Sunderland AFC: New Wilson Isidor transfer revelation is looking good for Black Cats | OneFootball

The Wearside outfit are currently on course for promotion - and that could mean they sign Isidor permanently.

Sunderland have richly benefitted from the presence of Wilson Isidor so far this season.

The Black Cats have been crying out for a talented number nine for a while now, having had issues in the striker department in recent years.

Ross Stewart may have fired the club to promotion at the end of the 2021/22 campaign via the play-offs, but he spent much of the following season out injured, and this proved to be particularly challenging when Ellis Simms was recalled by Everton in January 2023.

Simms had been in decent form for the Black Cats before his return to Goodison Park. Joe Gelhardt came in as a temporary replacement, but he wasn't that successful at the Stadium of Light and it could be argued that their lack of depth in a couple of key areas.

Last year, they cashed in on Stewart and brought in quite a few forwards in return, with Mason Burstow (loan), Luis Hemir, Eliezer Mayenda and Nazariy Rusyn.

Unfortunately, this business didn't pay off in the short term, with Burstow struggling on Wearside, Hemir and Mayenda very inexperienced and Rusyn needing time to adapt to life in England.

Burstow has returned to Chelsea since then and Hemir has gone out on loan, but the Black Cats aren't short of forward options this season either. This isn't just because Aaron Connolly joined back in September.

Moves for other forwards were made during the most recent summer window - and Isidor was one of them.

Since signing on loan from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg, he has been a real hit, scoring some important goals for the Black Cats since his arrival.

Scoring the winning goal against Hull City recently, he also executed an excellent volley against Oxford United last weekend to put that game to bed, something the Wearside club struggled to do until his wonderful strike.

For his goal against the Tigers, he showed a brilliant burst of pace, before keeping his composure and finishing very coolly.

His goal against Oxford was also superb, with the player having to watch the ball from behind before timing his strike well. It was a brilliant volley that gave Jamie Cumming no chance.

It's his contributions that are making such a big difference for the Wearside club this term - and he could potentially remain with the club for the longer term.

Wilson Isidor's loan terms at Sunderland clarified

It was previously known that the Black Cats had an option to buy him, but the exact terms remained unclear previously.

The Sunderland Echo have recently clarified the terms, with the outlet reporting that the club have a mandatory clause to sign him if they win promotion to the Premier League at the end of this term.

If they don't win promotion, Regis Le Bris' side will still have the option to recruit him, but they won't be forced to sign the 24-year-old.

The fee to recruit him is described to be "significant", but the structure of the deal could make it easier for the Wearside club to get a longer-term deal over the line for him.

However, it remains to be seen whether the club has sufficient funds to secure a permanent deal if they fail in their promotion quest.

The Black Cats are currently top of the table on 28 points - and have gone five points clear of Burnley and Leeds United following their win against the U's last weekend.

In a strong position now, they know that they can't afford to relax or take their foot off the gas if they want to secure a return to the top flight.

On paper, they probably don't have the strongest squad in the league, not quite yet.

However, they may have the team with the highest ceiling, and they also have quite a bit of depth in a number of areas.

Chris Mepham and Luke O'Nien have formed a good partnership in the absence of Dan Ballard - and their defence limited Oxford to very few opportunities last Saturday.

Idris El Mizouni's shot from long range was Des Buckingham's side's only real effort of note in the opening 45 minutes.

The pressing of the Black Cats and how solid they were allowed them to be dominant, and even though they weren't at their very best, they showed real flashes of quality and were able to get the job done in the end.

This is a sign of a promotion-winning team - and some of their first-teamers will only get better - including youngsters Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg.

With this in mind, promotion is a real possibility and if they can achieve that aim, that will allow them to secure Isidor on a permanent basis.

At this stage, signing him on a longer-term deal would be an excellent thing.