Phil Parkinson confirmed after Sunderland’s 1-0 win on Wednesday night that they were interested in Swansea left-back Declan John.However, with some of the dust now settling on that, some finer details of the potential deal have been revealed by Roker Report on Twitter.
What’s been said?
Sunderland have already brought in Josh Scowen this week but it appears as though their business in the January window isn’t quite done yet.
In his post-match press conference following a victory over Tranmere, the Mackems boss confirmed the club’s interest in capturing the full-back.
He said: “He’s someone we have inquired about.â€
An update has now been provided on whether that would be a permanent or temporary move. Taking to social media, Roker Report claimed:
Cover for Denver Hume
The Black Cats are currently on a nine-match unbeaten run with Parkinson working wonders with the side in recent weeks.
Sunderland are now firmly in the hunt for promotion and further additions could prove hugely beneficial in their pursuit of a place in the Championship next term.
Adding depth at left-back would also be smart, with Parkinson citing their target’s similarities to Hume.
“He’s similar to Denver in terms of his pace and being a real outlet on that side. He’s someone we’ve asked about,†the manager noted.
John has only made one substitute appearance for Swansea in 2019/20 so it’s hard to tell what he’d offer given a real lack of football.
A closer look at his statistics from last season provides a better indication though, with the 24-year-old proving adept in the tackle. He was successful in 1.3 challenges per game throughout 2018/19 which matches up fairly closely with Hume who has averaged one during the current campaign.
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On top of that, they are similar in terms of their reading of the play too. John mustered just 0.4 interceptions per match last season while Hume has 0.3 per outing this season.
The only area where Sunderland’s current option really pulls away is in the final third. Hume has four goal contributions in 2019/20 but John has yet to assist or score a goal according to stats recorded by WhoScored.
Meanwhile, Sunderland have been linked with a temporary move for a player in the Premier League…