Sunderland manager David Moyes has wasted no time in getting serious in the transfer market as he seems determined to change the state and mentality of the team for next season. With almost every club investing a lot of money on transfers, getting in some big names the Premier League would be even tougher the next season. Sunderland, thus, need to bolster their own squad if they don’t want to get drawn into the relegation dogfight yet again, which has been a trend at the Stadium Of Light in recent years. David Moyes has already spent some money on capturing Papy Djilobodji from Chelsea for a reported fee of £8 m. , he as now targeted another defensive player in Domagoj Vida.
Strengths
Domagoj Vida’s greatest strength is his versatility. The 27-year-old Croatian can play anywhere in the defence. He can be utilized as a full-back or a central defender while being able to fill in as a defensive midfielder as well. He has played extensively in his early career as a right-back but later made a name for himself as an able central defender. Vida is very strong in tackling and is remarkably strong in the air despite standing at 1.84m which is not the tallest when it comes to defenders. He is very competitive and can inspire his teammates with his fierce competitive attitude as well as his determination.
Weaknesses
The defender does have some dark patches also despite all his qualities and the biggest of them all is his inconsistency. The Croat can be a real handful on some days while being below par in the other and this has been a feature which has so far not allowed him to break into the bracket of the ‘very good’ from ‘good’. Another thing which is a bit worrying is that the player can get a reckless at times with his tackles. In the crucial games the discipline of the players at the back, affect a team considerably and Vida needs to improve on that front also.
Opportunities
A potential move to the Premier League would provide the 27-year-old the perfect opportunity to improve as well as enhance his reputation outside of his country. He had his chance to make a name for him previously in 2010 when he joined Bayer Leverkusen but despite making 8 appearances in the Europa League, he featured only once in the Bundesliga not being able to impress much. Vida did play a lot more over the next 6 years for Dinamo Zagreb and Dynamo Kyiv pinning down a place in the central defence for both club and country. A move to a team like Sunderland can provide the platform needed for the player to make something out of his playing time while also providing some much-needed cover for David Moyes.
Threats
The feisty nature of the Premier League with its competitive edge can work both ways for Vida; it can either bring the best out of him or the worst considering he is always prone to losing his head by lunging into tackles or engaging in unnecessary altercations with his opponents. If the move materializes then managing the player effectively would be the biggest challenge for the new Sunderland manager. Having done that previously, with a few players during his time in England, it won’t be much of a problem, though.
