Sunderland transfer stance emerges on potential player move to Fleetwood and Harrogate | OneFootball

Sunderland are happy to sanction a loan move for Jack Diamond to League One outfit Fleetwood Town, according to an update from the Northern Echo.

The 22-year-old managed to shine at Harrogate Town last term, recording 13 goals and six assists in 39 league appearances as he established himself as one of Simon Weaver’s most valuable assets.

However, the Black Cats’ promotion arguably minimised the chances of the winger being heavily involved at the Stadium of Light during the 2022/23 campaign and his fate has seemingly been sealed by Leon Dajaku and Jack Clarke sealing permanent transfers to Wearside this summer following last season’s loan spells.

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Diamond could also be utilised as a striker – but the arrival of Ellis Simms has dealt him with a blow – with the Everton man unlikely to come out of the starting lineup at this stage following a brace against Bristol City last weekend.

With this, and the Black Cats are open to sending him to Fleetwood, with the third-tier outfit providing the opportunity for the young wide man to make the step up.

However, they with the Wearside club wanting to see their promising talent perform at a higher level.

The Verdict:

This move makes sense and it should ensure Diamond isn’t kept in a comfort zone at Harrogate, with his goalscoring contributions from last term likely to guarantee him regular playing time at Fleetwood.

As part of this agreement, the Black Cats do need to triple check that he would get as much game time as possible at Highbury because at 22, a bad loan spell could be detrimental for the player.

Ideally, he’s someone the second-tier side will want to be using during the 2023/24 campaign, but it remains to be seen whether he can be just as much of a success in the third tier as he has been in League Two.

If he can’t step up, that will leave Neil with a big decision to make on his future, because he’s certainly a player that has potential but at some point, he will need to find a permanent home for the sake of his career.

It would be a surprise if he doesn’t make a full breakthrough at the Stadium of Light though with what he can bring in the final third. And he will have the best chance of doing so by performing well in the third tier.