Sunderland could do a lot worse than joining Nottingham Forest transfer race: View | OneFootball

Sunderland may soon have to start preparing for life without Jack Clarke, as his exit looks likely this summer.

The Black Cats were hoping for another campaign where they could reach the Championship play-offs, but the campaign hasn’t gone the way they had hoped, and with a handful of games remaining, their season looks all but over.

So, with no Premier League football next season, it looks increasingly likely that Sunderland will be unable to retain Clarke’s services.

It has been reported that Sunderland have resigned themselves to the idea that the winger will leave in the summer transfer window. Therefore, the Championship club will need to be on the lookout for a replacement, and they should consider joining Nottingham Forest in the race for Karamoko Dembele.

Host of sides interested in Karamoko Dembele

As reported by HITC, there are a host of Premier League and Championship clubs interested in signing Karamoko Dembele this summer.

It is stated that Premier League teams Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Fulham, Wolves, and Everton are keeping an eye on the player.

Leicester City, Leeds United, Southampton, and Middlesbrough are also admirers of the former Celtic player.

Dembele broke onto the scene at 13 years old, when clips were going around on social media of him dancing around defenders for Celtic’s under-20s.

Eight years later, Dembele has spent this season on loan at League One side Blackpool, where he has impressed as the Seasiders push for a League One play-off spot.

It seems his performances have caught the eye of several sides, and given that Sunderland may soon find themselves looking for a replacement for Clarke, they should also be keen on Dembele.

Sunderland should join Nottingham Forest in Karamoko Dembele race

It is very important that if Sunderland do lose Jack Clarke this summer, which looks likely, that they find a replacement that can fill the void and live with the pressure that might be on their shoulders.

The Black Cats are obviously not going to be able to shop in a high-profile market, but there is no reason why they shouldn’t be looking at Karamoko Dembele and thinking they have a good chance of buying the winger.

Dembele has been excellent for Blackpool this season, as he’s scored six goals in 32 appearances, a goal every 350 minutes of football, as per Sofascore.com.

The 21-year-old has been a consistent threat for the Seasiders, averaging 1.1 shots per game and has a goal conversion rate of 17%.

But it is his creativity that has helped Blackpool the most, as he’s created 15 big chances for his teammates, which has led to him grabbing 10 assists so far in this campaign, per Sofascore.com.

This 2023/24 campaign has been the first time that Dembele has really excelled in first-team football, and while he hasn’t played in the Championship before, Sunderland shouldn’t be put off making a move for the player.

Dembele fits a lot of criteria that the Black Cats would look for, as he is young and still has time to develop, something that Sunderland and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus like to do, which is buy young players and help them develop.

While he is also a very impressive player who has enormous quality on the ball, with a bit of time, he could be the perfect answer to replace Clarke.

The Championship side will want someone who has the same flair and creativity as Clarke and Dembele has shown he has that in his locker, so with time to adapt to a new team and league, there’s no reason why he can't produce in the Championship as well as League One.

Sunderland do already have some wingers at the club who may think they are ready to replace Clarke, with Romaine Mundle, Patrick Roberts, Abdoullah Ba, and Jewison Bennette all on the books already.

Now, if Clarke does leave the club, these players may have a chance to show what they are capable of and why they should replace the winger.

But the Black Cats should still be looking to bring in a new winger, and if it were to be Dembele, he would face competition on his hands in terms of playing regular all the time, but he is someone that should be able to deal with and has the ability to prove that he should be the one playing more often than not.