Exciting winger Romaine Mundle has stepped up and ensured that Clarke’s void has not been too harshly felt in the opening throes of the Championship campaign. Sunderland have won each of their first four encounters and Mundle has scored twice in that time, and keeping hold of Hume can also be attributed to the club’s flying start under new manager Regis Le Bris.
Sunderland’s youthful recruitment strategy has yielded mixed results but Hume has proved an undoubted success after arriving from Linfield in January 2022. He has made 88 appearances for the Black Cats and counting, but earned strong reported interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray back in the summer.
Sunderland, Trai Hume verdict given amid transfer surprise
Given that Galatasaray can offer European football and boast extraordinary talent such as Victor Osimhen, Dries Mertens and Mauro Icardi, it was something of a surprise to see Hume end up staying on Wearside despite their interest.
It would have perhaps been even more of a shock if Clarke had decided to stay put, but the retention of Hume has certainly surprised Football League World’s Sunderland fan pundit Eddy Bamber.
“The player I’m most surprised that didn’t leave is Trai Hume, I really thought that a team in one of the European top-flights would come in for him,” Eddy explained to Football League World.
“So I’m surprised he didn’t garner more interest really, he has been linked to other teams in the media before. I thought that this transfer window was going to be the one where there would be a real tangible attempt to sign him.
“But I’m really glad that it hasn’t happened, he’s really thriving under Le Bris. Some of his best plays and performances for Sunderland have been in these last four games, he’s absolutely perfect for the system we’re playing.
