Sunderland’s Michael Ledger is reportedly close to sealing a permanent 2-year deal with Norwegian side, Notodden FK. The 20-year-old’s loan spell to Hartlepool United has been cut short due to the possible transfer and the player and his agent are currently in Norway, holding negotiations with the club.
Ledger played in just one Premier League 2 game for the Black Cats this season before making the switch to United. He appeared sporadically 11 games for Pools Monkey Hangers before being recalled for the transfer.
The Consett-born defender is a product of the Sunderland youth academy having joined the club at just 7 years old. Ledger was a highflying youngster who was handed over the captains armband for the U18 side after impressing with consistent displays. He signed his first professional contract ahead of the 2015/16 season and was promoted the club’s development squad.
He made 4 senior team appearances in the following season before switching to the Norwegian outfit, Vikings on a loan spell in 2017. He made 14 total appearances over the course of the six months away from the club and earned high praise in form of a callback in the summer.
Ledger has been a bright figure in the Hartlepool lineup despite facing competition from more experienced centre-halves.
The player has always been favourable towards a move back to Norway due to his initial success with the Vikings. This might just be a step in the right direction with possibilities of having an illustrious career with Sunderland diminishing as the season progresses.
The Rokerites are on their to a second consecutive relegation in English football after facing the drop from the Premier League only a season ago. Chris Coleman has failed to guide the side out of the bottom three despite showing a hint of promise earlier in the season.
With the club stacked at the bottom-end of the EFL Championship, it will be hard to keep a lot of the players in the following campaign.
What a relegation does to a club is not just expressed through the loss of fans or dignity, it is a massive drop in terms of financial revenue just based on viewership alone. Any club who operates in the top divisions of English football undergoes a significant amount expenditure to put together a competent starting XI.
Facing such a sudden drop to the League One is expected to cost Sunderland a massive amount and selling off players is the only way to keep their bank balances in the positive column.
However, losing Ledger might not be the worst news to reach the Sunderland ranks as he is signing only a 2-year deal. After developing his game for a couple of seasons, the Wearside club will be favoured on a probable return.
