SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - AUGUST 24: Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland AFC and Burnley FC at Stadium of Light on August 24, 2024 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Brighton and Hove Albion prepare new move for Sunderland talent Tom Watson after bids rejected
Sunderland are fighting to keep hold of younger Tom Watson with one Premier League club now pushing to sign him ahead of the January transfer window.
Sunderland have enjoyed a blistering start to the new Championship season and Saturday’s defeat at Plymouth Argyle should not overshadow a fine few weeks.
Regis Le Bris is making a big impact at the Stadium of Light and is doing it despite losing his star man late in the summer transfer window.
Jack Clarke signed for Ipswich Town in August after terrorising Championship full backs for two years.
Sunderland sold Clarke in a deal which only brought in around £13.5million due to Tottenham Hotspur’s hefty sell-on clause.
Losing a player of Clarke’s quality is never easy but Sunderland are getting on with the job at hand – and may see another player attract major January interest.
Sunderland fighting to keep Tom Watson
Clarke was a proven Championship player and Premier League interest was no great surprise.
The case of Tom Watson is a little different though as Sunderland appear to have a huge talent for the future.
Watson is only 18 and has come up through the Sunderland ranks having been born in nearby Easington.
The winger has already made three first-team appearances and has been viewed as a potential heir to Clarke out wide.
Nottingham Forest have shown an interest in Watson but it’s Brighton and Hove Albion making the biggest push for his signature.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon claims that Brighton want to sign Watson and are banking on his friendship with ex-Sunderland teammate Josh Robertson.
Brighton raided Sunderland for Robertson in January and now want to reunite him with Watson.
The pair are understood to still be close friends and the move to Brighton allegedly appeals to Watson if he is to leave the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland have already rejected ‘multiple’ offers from Brighton for Watson but are expecting the bidding to go higher than £2.5million now.
Watson turning heads
The excitement around Watson is understandable.
Watson has displayed superb close control and dribbling ability in Premier League 2, with his mazy runs somewhat reminiscent of the aforementioned Clarke.
The teenager has already bagged two goals and one assist in three Premier League 2 outings this season and more first-team opportunities surely aren’t far away.
Hailed as a ‘destructive’ talent by Sunderland’s Under-21 boss Graeme Murty, Watson could become a real star down the line.
The hope is that Watson’s rise will be with Sunderland but if Brighton come in with an improved bid in January, the wide man could be on the move.
