Ellis Short's decision to sell Jordan Pickford from Sunderland to Everton in 2017 was a necessary one at a time when the club needed funds quickly.

However, the former chairman's failure to include a sell-on fee for the England international may be about to cost the Black Cats a lot of money, as the shot-stopper is being linked with a move to Chelsea.

Considering he is England's number one and is still only 28, the 'keeper is likely to demand a significant fee should Graham Potter's side come knocking in January.

Unfortunately for Tony Mowbray and those associated with Sunderland, none of that potential fee will be heading to the Stadium of Light, at a time when an increased transfer budget could be vital.

Sunderland currently sit just four points outside of the playoff positions in the Championship and will no doubt be looking to continue a promising start to life back in the second tier when they resume in December.

Had the Black Cats inserted a sell-on clause in the deal to sell Pickford to Everton, they could have easily been receiving north of £5m in January, given that the 28-year-old is currently valued at €28m (£24.3m) by Transfermarkt, which could have gone a long way towards signing a number of new players to aid them in the Championship for the rest of the season.

Since his move to Goodison Park, Pickford has gone on to make 213 appearances for the Toffees, conceding 303 goals and keeping 57 clean sheets.

Given that Frank Lampard's side once again find themselves in a relegation battle in the Premier League this season, it would be easy to see why the goalkeeper would want to move to a side such as Chelsea, where he could test himself against Europe's elite in the Champions League.

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Therefore, should he complete a big-money move away from Everton in the near future, Sunderland will surely be rueing their former chairman's lack of financial nous when selling Pickford in 2017.