Birmingham City developments underline correct Sunderland player call: View | OneFootball

Amid Birmingham City links, it appears Sunderland have made the right call with Callum Styles.

Sunderland look set for a busy summer. The Black Cats face a unique situation in having a number of their stars being pursued by a host of European clubs. On the other hand, the club must make some critical decisions on who they add to a squad as they seek promotion back to the Premier League.

The transfer window always brings speculation, but it also brings difficult decisions. Who to keep? Who to let go? Clubs will never get it completely right, but a bad decision can have serious knock-on effects for the future. Although a wrong decision in the Championship is not as financially detrimental as those in the Premier League, it could be the difference between promotion or another season in the league.

Sunderland's first major call of the transfer window was to make a decision on Callum Styles, who they'd had on a six-month loan from League One club, Barnsley. Given the recent links, via Alan Nixon, with ambitious League One outfit Birmingham City, who are throwing everything at a Championship return, it seems, it underlines that Sunderland made the correct call on his future.

Styles underwhelmed at Sunderland

At the end of the January window, Sunderland recruited Callum Styles on a six-month loan from Barnsley. The then 23-year-old was signed on a loan to buy deal, where Sunderland had the option of signing the midfielder on a permanent deal when his loan deal expired. Styles was signed by then Black Cats manager, Michael Beale, but he claimed he had been on the Wearsiders' radar for some time.

Although out of his control, Styles did not have the best of starts at the Stadium of Light. The midfielder missed his first four possible games due to having his appendix removed. As a result, the Hungarian international feared the move to the North East would never materialise. Styles made his debut for the Black Cats against Swansea City in late February in his favoured left-midfield position, but suffered a 2-1 defeat.

Styles never made an appearance under Beale, who was sacked on February 19th. Under caretaker boss, Mike Dodds, Styles was initially used sparingly. He featured for the Black Cats in their following three games but only played for a combined 103 minutes - Sunderland lost all three matches.

Styles went on to become more of a staple within the side and featured more heavily towards the end of the season. The midfielder made more starts for the club and benefited from an injury to Jack Clarke, who faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle ligament injury. Despite not making much of an impact in terms of his output, he did provide an assist in Sunderland's victory over West Bromwich Albion, only their second win in 15 games.

Although a versatile player, Dodds was unsure how to utilise Styles and get the best out of him. The loanee played in four different positions for Sunderland across 12 matches, including left-midfield, right-midfield, left-back and defensive-midfield. Dodds made a surprise admission during a press conference, claiming: "I don't know where his best position is if I am being brutally honest."

Sunderland have better options than Styles

Although Styles would have added versatility, it is quality that Sunderland need to add in this window. Styles contributed one assist in 12 appearances for the Black Cats and, while he worked hard for the team, it was not enough to convince the Sunderland hierarchy.

Sunderland might yet add to the left-wing position, given the constant speculation surrounding Jack Clarke's future, but any move would depend on his departure. The Wearsiders currently have Clarke and Jewison Bennette registered in that position. Clarke will be one of the first names on the team sheet, while Bennette could provide a good back-up option. The 20-year-old has shown glimpses in the red and white of Sunderland but could potentially get loaned out again, like he was last season.

The right-hand side of Sunderland's midfield should be more competitive. The Black Cats currently have the experienced Patrick Roberts as well as a relatively recent acquisition in Romaine Mundle. Roberts had a stop-start campaign, only chipping in with two assists in 32 appearances, although he did face two lengthy spells on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Mundle managed one goal in eleven appearances, having joined from Standard Liege in February.

Black Cats boss, Regis Le Bris, also has Abdoullah Ba at his disposal. The winger has developed season by season and has steadily improved his output on the right-wing. Although only 20 years of age, Ba already has 66 Championship appearances to his name. Last season, the Frenchman contributed three goals and four assists, improving on his one goal and one assist from the previous campaign.

Although Styles would have been a useful addition to Le Bris' squad, it is not squad players that Sunderland need. If they are going to improve on last season and make a challenge for promotion, then it is quality that they require.

Seeing a League One club, however ambitious Birmingham are, set their sights on Styles only underlines how he's probably not the right option to push Sunderland to the brink of the Premier League, where they ultimately want to be.

Knocking back the opportunity to take the Hungarian longer-term is proving the correct one day-by-day.