According to the reports by the Daily Record, Sunderland had sent scouts to watch Motherwell’s young winger Jake Hastie in action against St. Mirren around a week back. The Championship outfits like West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United were also keeping an eye on this winger who is having a terrific second half of the season with the Well.
The 19-year-old is in the final few months of his contract and is yet to commit to a long term deal with his current club. Therefore Sunderland can potentially sign him for free in the summer after his contract expires. However, it is not going to be that straightforward as quite a few clubs are looking to acquire the Scottish winger.
Hastie scored a brilliant long-range strike in that game and we believe the scouts would have had positive things to report about this upcoming talent. The Scotsman spent the first half of the season with second-tier outfit Alloa Athletic on loan but has now slowly made his way into Motherwell’s senior team after coming up from their academy.
Sunderland have picked up quite a few Scottish talents ever since Jack Ross took charge of the club. The former St. Mirren manager has used his knowledge of Scottish football well and has helped the Black Cats acquire some players from there. Sunderland meanwhile are in the mix to move to the Championship via the automatic promotion spots, but they are showing signs of vulnerability over the past month.
If the Black Cats fail to secure a move to the English second tier then we feel they might miss out on their target as the likes of West Brom and Leeds United would be in an excellent position to land him. Moreover, both those clubs are fighting for a place in the Premier League next season. Therefore, it would be quite difficult for Sunderland to compete with them in the transfer market.
However, the winger can get regular game time at the Stadium of Light, but it is imperative for the Wearside outfit to move to the Championship to bring a talent like Hastie to their club. The 19-year-old is predominantly a left winger but can start on the right as well.
Ross currently has Chris Maguire, Aiden McGeady, Duncan Watmore and Lewis Morgan who can all play in the wide areas. However, Morgan is just on a six-month loan until the end of the season so the club might have to dive in the summer transfer market to get another winger. Hastie is a top talent who is thriving in the Scottish Premiership, but we believe, the move can very well come down to whether Sunderland moves up a division or not.
