A major update has emerged on Sunderland forward Charlie Wyke, regarding where he wants to play his football next season.
What’s the talk?
According to Football Insider, Sunderland centre-forward Wyke is very keen on securing a transfer to Scottish Premiership side Celtic. He is out of contract at the end of the month and is eager to seal a switch to Celtic as he wants to test himself in Scotland.
The report claims that Celtic are set to offer Wyke a long-term contract as they attempt to land his signature. Sunderland remain in talks with Wyke over a new deal but have been unable to reach an agreement so far.
Sunderland midfielder Lynden Gooch heaped praise on the “strong” striker in November 2020, lauding his work rate off the ball for the club.
He told SAFC unfiltered, as transcribed by Inside Futbol:
“You know going into the game, he’s going to batter the other team’s centre-halves. You know he will. He’s so strong, so big.
“I think his work rate gets taken for granted as a big striker like that, he’s nearly running 11km – that’s a lot for a centre-forward.”
Speakman must axe him
Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman must reluctantly axe Wyke following this latest update. Speakman needs to end negotiations with Wyke and allow him to leave the club or else he could end up causing a disaster.
It looks like Wyke has made it clear that he would like to test himself at a higher level and join Celtic, which means that him staying at Sunderland will not be ideal for anyone.
Even if Wyke now decides to extend his contract at Sunderland, given this latest update, it would likely be purely for financial reasons and that could cause issues next season.
He has shown that he is clearly not content playing in League One and this means that he may not be fully motivated to perform for Sunderland and could, therefore, be a problem in the changing room for Lee Johnson.
The £6.4k-per-week beast will undoubtedly be a loss for the Black Cats. He scored an incredible 26 goals in League One for Sunderland and finding a replacement to replicate his goal tally could be difficult for Johnson and Speakman this summer.
However, an unmotivated Wyke may not be able to replicate it himself if he is still at the Stadium of Light with a move elsewhere in his mind. This is why Speakman must let him go, even if it is a blow in the short term.
AND in other news, Get it done: Speakman must complete Sunderland deal for “unique” £3.4k-p/w enforcer…