Sunderland manager Simon Grayson has revealed that he is happy with his clubs deadline day signings. He also went on to name players whom his club missed out on this summer.
The Black Cats took their number of summer signings to 10 this summer as they secured deals for Jonny Williams, Marc Wilson and Callum McManaman.
Grayson was happy to have signed Williams and revealed that his club beat off fierce competition to sign him. He said, “We’re delighted to beat competition from Premier League clubs to get him. His experience will be vital, and he can play as a holding midfielder, so we’re delighted he’s turned down other opportunities to come here.
Wilson joined the Black Cats in order to play more regularly and whilst talking about him, Grayson said, “It’s great commitment from the lad that when we agreed a deal he drove eight hours from Cardiff to get here,”
He added about, McManaman, “He’s a tidy footballer, an exciting player, he’ll get on the ball and try to make things happen. This has been a busy summer for Sunderland who saw players such as Jermain Defoe, Jordan Pickford, Jeremain Lens, WabhiKhazri and PapyDjilobodji leave.”
While discussing players that his club missed out on signing, Grayson said, “We’re delighted to have got all three and it rounds off what has probably been a good window for us. There were plenty of ups and downs along the way.
“We were close last week to Robert Snodgrass, where we agreed everything that Aston Villa had agreed, but unfortunately he chose Villa for family reasons. Max Gradel was another one we went in for – we agreed everything financially but for family reasons he chose other options.
Considering the changes that have taken place within the squad this summer, Grayson will be realistic about his team’s chances for this season. It will be difficult to see the club launching a promotion challenge. They can however get a decent finish in the Championship if they play with confidence and work hard.
