Details emerge as Sunderland failed with ambitious transfer swoop for 23-year-old | OneFootball

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Sunderland had agreed a deal with Estudiantes to sign Benjamin Rollheiser towards the end of the window, but issues with his ownership meant the transfer didn’t happen.

Who is Benjamin Rollheiser?

The 23-year-old is a name that many fans might not know, as he has spent his career so far in Argentina, initially with River Plate before making the switch to Estudiantes.

An attacking midfielder, Rollheiser is seen as a very big talent in South America, and his performances have attracted plenty of attention from across Europe.

It had been claimed that Newcastle, Burnley and Sheffield United were monitoring him, whilst Zenit were willing to pay around £12m to sign the player.

Sunderland made late move for Benjamin Rollheiser

However, the switch to Russia was rejected by the Argentinian, which meant Rollheiser was still with Estudiantes in the final days of the window, but it appears he could have ended up at the Stadium of Light.

That’s because Sun journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that the Championship side had agreed ‘a big loan deal’ with Estudiantes for the player, and, crucially, that Rollheiser was willing to make the move to Wearside.

Yet, it didn’t go through because the player is part owned by an agency, who would have had to sign off and agree to the move. But, the update states they were not happy with the terms of the deal that had been sorted between the two clubs.

How big a blow is this for Sunderland?

Obviously, we don’t know how well Rollheiser would have adapted to the Championship, but it does seem a setback given the pedigree of the player.

Zenit were prepared to pay £12m for him, and he was tracked by Premier League clubs, which indicates that Rollheiser is someone who is certainly appreciated in the game, and you would have to say it would have been a real coup for the club.

He could have brought some more quality to the final third, and he fits the profile for what Sunderland want from new recruits, as he is young and has a lot of potential.

Will Sunderland sign Benjamin Rollheiser in January?

In theory, the club could revisit this deal in the New Year, but you get the sense that this was an opportunity that came up late on, which may not be there when the window opens in January.

Firstly, they may run into the same problems, which could block the move, whilst Estudiantes may not agree to a loan if a permanent offer is on the table.

It’s one to monitor though, as Rollheiser is clearly a player that the recruitment team like.

What next for Sunderland?

The 5-0 hammering of Southampton on Saturday shows that Sunderland aren’t short of quality in attack right now anyway, with Tony Mowbray’s men putting in an outstanding display to thrash one of the promotion favourites.