"Could come back to bite us" - Sunderland claim made as fan favourite set for West Brom move | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Experienced French midfielder Yann M'Vila looks set to move to West Bromwich Albion after a move to Sunderland failed to materialise in the past few weeks.

The Baggies are reportedly in talks to sign the former Black Cats player, according to French publication Foot Mercato.

Foot Mercato previously reported that M'Vila was a target for Sunderland last month and that talks had occurred, although the rumours soon went quiet - until the Baggies put their name in the hat to sign the midfielder this week.

A move to the Baggies could upset some Sunderland fans, and the failure to sign a beloved former player may come back to bite the Black Cats in the near future.

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit Jack Austwicke thinks that his club have missed a trick in not pursuing the signing of M'Vila on a free transfer, and thinks the lack of action could come back to bite them as he looks set to sign for West Brom in the near future instead.

"I think he'd have done a job for us," Jack told Football League World.

"I mean, his wages might have been a bit much - he has come out and said he wouldn't mind too much because of the love he has for a club like Sunderland.

"I think I am disappointed to miss out, especially with the news that West Brom are apparently looking at signing him. "They are a club who obviously don't have the biggest financial resources with their ownership and whatnot. "It's strange - I don't get why we haven't gone for him, or at least challenged them. "It looks like he could be signing for West Brom now, so I think we've missed out and it could come back to bite us.

"I don't really see why we couldn't have competed with that, but it is what it is and we need to move on now."

M'Vila would have brought much needed experience to the Stadium of Light

Sunderland may regret missing out on signing M'Vila, as he could have brought some valuable experience that the club have been missing this season if he had joined.

Following his release from Olympiacos, M'Vila claimed that Sunderland would be the only non top flight club he would sign for, but with a deal not coming to fruition, he has had to open up his options.

He previously played for the club on loan in the Premier League, when arriving from Rubin Kazan during the 2015-16 season and was one of the top performers that year, leaving as a fan favourite by the end of his stint and there was a real clamour for a full-time switch to Wearside.

While a permanent deal for the Frenchman fell through, he has always remained positive about his time in Sunderland, and he seemed likely to make the switch back to the Black Cats.

However, it appears as if Sunderland aren't interested in securing his signature, which may shock some fans.

M'Vila is 33-years-old, but had been playing regularly in Greece for the past few years, and still had the ability to contribute to the team in midfield.

With Sunderland having the youngest teams in the Championship, his experience could have been vital to their challenge for the top six in the remaining four months of the season - especially with the loss of experienced midfielder Alex Pritchard in the transfer window.

And with West Brom sitting above the Black Cats in the table, the addition of M'Vila could be what helps them remain above their promotion rivals and secure a top six finish.

If this does happen, Sunderland will be desperately regretting turning down a player with such enthusiasm for the club.