JUST IN: According to Sky Sports, Sunderland officially defeated Leed United, Leicester and three other teams this morning to get Chelsea prodigy Ace, replacing their star player who signed with Coventry City. However.

Former Leeds winger Ian Poveda is reportedly on the radars of several Championship clubs after leaving Elland Road.

It was recently announced the 24-year-old was one of 11 players who will be leaving Leeds following the end of their contracts this summer. Poveda made 10 Championship appearances on loan at Sheffield Wednesday during the second half of the 2023/24 season, with the Owls said to be interested in re-signing him.

Sunderland have also been credited with interest in the Colombia international, while journalist Darren Witcoop has claimed ‘Cardiff, Luton and West Brom among the clubs keen.’

Poveda joined Leeds from Premier League side Manchester City in 2020, signing a four-year deal, but struggled to break into the first team at Elland Road. He made just 30 appearances in all competitions for the Whites, while he was also loaned out to Blackburn and Blackpool.

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Fan Letters: “Nobody wants the Sunderland job because ‘the model’ is too restrictive”

Dear Roker Report,

Nobody wants the Sunderland job because based on this model of signing young players and then selling them off, you can’t win promotion.

We can’t find a manager who has no ambitions, and it’s simple as that.

Even Tony Mowbray, who likes working with youngsters, eventually got very frustrated with the club management (the ‘centre forward’ syndrome).

Colin Childs

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Colin. Thank you for your letter.

As the search drags on and potential candidates are bandied around, it’s increasingly hard to sum up the current situation as anything other than ‘shambolic’, and if our way of working is proving unattractive to would-be head coaches, it’s down to the club to show the kind of flexibility required in order to make the Sunderland job attractive once again.

If last season should’ve taught the club anything, it’s that sticking rigidly to a flawed vision is only going to lead one way, and that’s towards decline.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the perception of Sunderland is that of a club in disarray and without a clear plan in place. That’s the result of months and months of poor decisions and it’s entirely self-inflicted, sadly.