Sunderland are in with a good shout to move to the Championship via the direct promotion spot. The team will need to add more quality in the summer if they dream of quickly moving to the English top flight.
One such player with whom they have been linked (Hartlepool Mail) with is Hartlepool’s United former defender Luca Murphy. The 17-year-old recently left the club after he and his agent decided not to sign a professional contract with the non-league football team.
The player has come up from Hartlepool’s academy and it is understandable why their manager Craig Hignett is unhappy with the latest developments. He recently said, ”We have released him but still reserve the right to compensation. We will fight for compensation. If anyone takes him, and I am sure they will as the kid has the ability, then we will fight for it.”
Apart from Sunderland, Premier League heavyweights like Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are also in the mix to sign this talented defender. Newcastle United, Leeds United and Middlesbrough are also said to be monitoring his situation. One can understand why so many clubs are after him as Murphy is currently a free agent.
Given the clubs which have been named, Sunderland doesn’t stand much chance of outbidding them when it comes to offering better wages. However, we did a little bit of digging and found that Murphy follows Sunderland football club on Twitter and apart from them, he hasn’t followed any football club. So probably the defender might have a soft spot for the Wearside outfit and maybe a decent offer from the Black Cats might do the trick.
One of the reasons why some top clubs are after this youngster is because he seems to be a proper modern day defender. Apart from just having defensive abilities, Murphy showcases impressive quality on the ball and is comfortable with using both his feet when in possession. Therefore he can play out from the back and that is what is often needed in modern day football. Sunderland should do everything in their means to sign this defender. Murphy too should prefer a move to a club where he can play regular football at the top level.
At Manchester United or Tottenham, the centre back will have to bide his time with their youth and reserve teams before getting in contention to move to the first team squad. So a move to Sunderland might not be a bad ploy as he can get to play for the first team sooner. Maybe, he might jump on the opportunity of signing for them as it seems like the 17-year-old is a Sunderland fan from his Twitter activities.
