"No panic" - Pundit praises Sunderland stance over AFC Bournemouth, Chris Mepham transfer situation | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer has told FLW his verdict on Sunderland's Chris Mepham transfer stance

Carlton Palmer believes Sunderland are right to take a patient approach to deciding Chris Mepham’s future at the club.

The defender has stepped into the side following the absence of Dan Ballard through injury, starting each of the team’s last six league fixtures (all stats from Fbref).

Le Bris has refused to confirm whether the Championship side will look to sign the player on a permanent basis in the summer when his loan spell ends.

Mepham is in the final year of his contract with Bournemouth, but the Cherries have the option to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

It remains unclear whether Sunderland have an option to buy Mepham on a permanent basis at the end of the season - a report from the Sunderland Echo suggests it's unlikely, with any decision on his future likely resting on the Premier League side's 12-month extension option.

Carlton Palmer's Sunderland surprise

Palmer has revealed his surprise at Sunderland's strong start to the new campaign, with the team leading the way in the Championship table after 11 games.

He has claimed the impact of Mepham has been outstanding, stepping into the side in place of Ballard extremely well.

“Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has done absolutely fantastic, as Sunderland sit top of the league. I think a lot of people are surprised, I’m certainly surprised, I didn’t know much about Régis Le Bris (when Sunderland) brought him in as head coach,” Palmer told Football League World.

“The hierarchy at Sunderland have backed him, one of the players who has done outstanding for them is Chris Mepham.

“He is the player they’ve brought in from Bournemouth on a season-long loan.

“And with Dan Ballard unavailable because of injury, Mepham has seamlessly stepped into Sunderland’s starting lineup, and has been outstanding.

“Régis Le Bris has said it’s too early to be looking at the situation, whether to keep him on a permanent basis.

“He’s still only 26, he has considerable experience.

“Like I’ve said, I didn’t expect Sunderland to be up there, I don’t think the hierarchy or Régis Le Bris would’ve thought they’d be in the automatic one or two spots.

“There’s a long way to go in the season yet. We’ll have to see.”

Carlton Palmer issues Luton warning to Sunderland

Despite the positive start to the season and win at Kenilworth Road, Palmer has warned the Black Cats about the possibility of Luton coming back at them, along with the pressure they're already feeling from the likes of Burnley, Leeds United and West Brom.

“I still think Luton Town are going to make a challenge, I think they’ll come strong,” he continued.

“You look at the table as it stands now. I said I didn’t expect them to continue in the top spot, but they are going there.

“People are coming behind them now, Burnley right behind them only three points, Leeds United right behind them, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United.

“I do think that Luton will start to mount a challenge, they’ve still got a long way to go Luton.

“They’re 10 points off a play-off place, but they’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’ve seen in the past (with) Nottingham Forest what can happen.”

Carlton Palmer urges patience from Sunderland on Mepham decision

Palmer has suggested it’s too early to know for sure whether a permanent deal should be arranged in the summer for Mepham, and that patience will be needed from the Black Cats to see if he can keep up his current form amid that pressure from Luton and co to come.

“(Mepham's) got to continue with his current form, and they should take it from there,” he added.

“It’s one step at a time, it’s going to be a big push for Sunderland.

“I think, certainly given the start they’ve had, if they don’t go up automatically, they’ll be in the play-offs.

“Then they’ve got to assess what they do for the following season.

“As Régis Le Bris said, there’s no panic yet to sit down and sort out Chris Mepham’s future.”

Chris Mepham’s impact at Sunderland

Mepham has started each of Sunderland’s last six games, with Ballard currently unavailable due to an ankle injury.

The absence of Ballard should’ve been a big blow to Le Bris’ side, but the 26-year-old has stepped into the side excellently.

Sunderland have four three, drawn one and lost one of his six appearances, conceding five times.

These results have put the Black Cats top of the Championship table by three points after 11 fixtures in total.

Mepham signing is proving a masterstroke so far for Sunderland

Mepham has done well in the games he’s been asked to step into the side for Ballard, giving Le Bris a selection headache now that the Northern Irishman is nearing a return.

The Bournemouth defender has earned the opportunity to stay in the side, which could even help Ballard get extra match fit instead of rushing to come back and risk aggravating his injury.

The likelihood of a permanent deal will depend on a lot of factors, including Bournemouth’s potential asking price, as well as Sunderland’s league status for next year.

The Championship side are better off taking it one day at a time for the moment, and waiting closer to the end of the campaign before making any concrete decisions over their stance for Mepham’s future.