The size of Sunderland’s squad was laid bare this morning as they announced a retained list that ran to 41 players.
Whilst some clubs, such as Wimbledon and Lincoln City, have released all of their out of contract players, Sunderland have enough for two squads either retained or offered new deals. They have released some though, giving fans a little to discuss.
The senior players leaving the club are Alim Ozturk, Duncan Watmore, Jack Baldwin, Joel Lynch, Kyle Lafferty and Tommy Smith, with a further
18 under the age of 24 leaving the SoL, including promising striker Jack Bainbridge and former Chelsea man Ruben Sammut. In addition, three players have returned to their parent clubs, one of which is Bailey Wright whom many expect the Mackems to chase after his contract at Bristol City expires.
The size of their current squad not only highlights the gulf in means between the haves and the have nots at this level but also poses the question why they have been unable to do better this season. Granted, with a thriving Under 23 setup, there is a need for more players, but surely this coming season is a must in terms of promotion, given the expenditure that must be incurred with such a big squad.
Sunderland fans have been quick to react to today’s news, with one or two perhaps underlining why Sunderland are a different beast to the rest of League One altogether, as they’ve questioned the size of the squad!
Now just big Jon and SD leaving and possibly successful season
— TWANGMACKEM8258™️ 🏴🇧🇦 (@twangmackem) June 23, 2020
Where’s the contract offer for @baileywright92 We only have 12 players. Need to start signing players.
— Paul (@paulthomase) June 23, 2020
https://twitter.com/aaronshowler1/status/1275337984334757889
Some good news at last 👍⚽️
— Doris (@safcann1967) June 23, 2020
Great about Maguire but have you seen the size of the released list for the young uns ? Scary
— Sergeant Walnuts (@Mardybum2000) June 23, 2020
Some positive news for a change away from the doom
— Daniel Jenks (@DanielJenks89) June 23, 2020
https://twitter.com/Jamestweddell/status/1275344002766823426
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