A major Sunderland claim has emerged regarding Danny Batth's move to the club earlier this year...
What's the talk?
According to The Examiner, Sheffield Wednesday attempted to seal a deal for the central defender in the January transfer window, only to see him sign for the Black Cats on a free transfer.
He joined Sunderland on an 18-month deal from Championship Stoke City and then-boss Lee Johnson hailed his arrival, saying:
“We have some good characters already in place at the football club and you are always looking to nurture leadership qualities, but Danny’s come ready-made. A dominant centre back, he has a great personality and I think he will have really positive effect on and off the pitch.”
Buzzing
This claim will surely leave Stadium of Light supporters buzzing as it shows that Kristjaan Speakman pulled off a masterclass in January.
The Black Cats supremo was able to convince the experienced battler to turn down a transfer to Hillsborough in favour of one to Sunderland. Irrespective of how the deal ends up working out, this shows that the club still has a huge pull and that Speakman is able to work his magic to snap up players who are being eyed by teams in the same division.
In fact, the Owls are one of the club's closest competitors this season. There are only two points between the two teams as it stands, with Wednesday in sixth and Sunderland in seventh in the League One table.
They are both competing for a play-off spot and one team could end up causing the other to miss out on a top-six place come the end of the campaign.
Batth has been struggling with an ankle injury this year and the Black Cats are yet to see the best of the former Wolves machine. He found it difficult to discover his form before finding himself sidelined with the knock and is now on his way back to fitness.
His form in the Championship for Stoke earlier this season suggests that he will be able to have a huge say in the play-off race if he can get himself back to 100% and injury-free. He averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.10 in the second tier, making 5.5 clearances and 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game.
Batth has shown that he can be a solid defender in a higher division and this suggests that he has the quality to excel in League One for Sunderland. It is just down to him to now prove that he can get back to his best and make sure that Wednesday live to regret missing out on him.
Speakman pulled off a masterclass that will delight fans, because of the potential benefits by bringing him in. Batth must now repay him by delivering on the pitch.
AND in other news, Speakman heading for SAFC shocker on £2.7k-p/w gem who's the best "in the division"...