Sunderland sign Irish striker Aaron Connolly on free transfer
24-year-old has joined the Championship side on a one-year deal
Republic of Ireland international striker Aaron Connolly has signed for Championship side Sunderland on a one-year deal.
The 24-year-old, who shot to prominence with a Premier League double for Brighton against Tottenham in October 2019, was a free agent after being released by Hull at the end of last season.
Connolly, who has also had loan spells with Luton, Middlesbrough and Venezia, told the Black Cats’ official website: “I feel very privileged to sign for Sunderland.
“I’m ready to move forward with my career after facing some challenges in recent times and I fully understand the huge opportunity I have ahead of me.”
Speaking via The Northern Echo, the contracted Cherries centre-back has been discussing what his future in the game may look like, whilst also revealing that he’s at his happiest when he’s playing regular football.
The Welsh international put pen to paper on a season-long loan deal with the Black Cats this summer, and after making an impressive debut in Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Middlesbrough, conversations around the potential for a permanent deal to be struck for him have begun to surface.
Mepham, 26, is set to see his Bournemouth contract expire at the end of the season, but the Cherries do have the option to extend the defender’s deal by a further 12 months should they wish.
He doesn’t currently appear to be in Andoni Iraola’s plans at the Vitality Stadium, but Mepham doesn’t appear to be worrying about anything else but playing well for Sunderland at this moment in time.
Chris Mepham brushes off potential Sunderland permanent move talk
Mepham’s reasoning for joining Sunderland was clear; play games and help the club in their pursuit of Premier League promotion. Judging from what he’s been saying recently, that’s all he’s focused on at this moment in time.
Speaking with The Northern Echo, Mepham said: “This is my final year (at Bournemouth) and I think the club have the option of next year.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead. I think naturally you keep it week by week because a lot can happen in a short period of time.
“Like I said, I think the most important thing for me at this stage of my career is just playing football and getting regular game time which is something I’ve probably missed over the last couple of years.
“All of that will look after itself but I think for me the most important thing is just getting game time, staying fit and staying injury-free.
“Of course, the most important thing is helping the team and trying to do as best I can for the football club.”
