Sunderland could be handed a real boost in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest defender Jordan Gabriel, according to a recent report from The Sun on Sunday (8th August, page 67).
What’s the story?
Gabriel has been with Nottingham Forest since 2015, and has gone on to make three senior appearances for the club in the early stages of his career.
The full-back spent last year’s campaign on loan with Blackpool and made 35 appearances for the Tangerines as they won promotion from League One, whilst under the watchful eye of Neil Critchley.
He had an average Whoscored rating of 6.60 from that campaign, which shows that he was a steady operator for Blackpool last term.
It appears as though Gabriel’s strong showings haven’t gone unnoticed though, with both Sunderland and Blackpool being keen on agreeing a permanent deal for the Forest youngster.
The Sun have now reported that Chris Hughton’s side could be willing to sell Gabriel this summer, providing they can get a deal to sign Sheffield Wednesday’s Liam Palmer over the line before the summer transfer window reaches a conclusion.
‘Talented modern-day full-back’
Gabriel is still somewhat of a ‘raw talent’, who hasn’t had a considerable amount of time to prove himself at a high level, such as the Championship.
With Forest’s lack of depth in defence at this moment in time, it certainly has come as a surprise to hear that they’re willing to move Gabriel on this summer, even if they are to sign Palmer from Sheffield Wednesday.
But Forest’s loss could be Sunderland’s gain, and they’ll know that they’ll have a real battle on their hands to convince Gabriel to sign up with the Black Cats over Blackpool.
Not only are the Tangerines playing their football at a higher level than Lee Johnson’s side, but he’s also had an enjoyable loan spell with Blackpool recently.
But Sunderland might feel as though they’re more likely to be able to offer him regular minutes in the first-team football this term, with Lee Johnson’s side looking to win promotion into the second-tier of English football.
Speaking after Blackpool confirmed the signing of Gabriel during the 2020/21 season, Neil Crtichley labelled the full-back as ‘talented’, and the defender certainly repaid that faith shown in him, by playing an important role in the Tangerines’ promotion-winning campaign.
“Jordan is a talented modern day full-back, and is someone I have been aware of from his early years at Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
“He will bring athleticism to the right-hand side of the team, and he is very good defensively in one v one situations. He’s very highly thought of at Nottingham Forest and we’re thankful to them for allowing us to sign Jordan for the season.”
Sunderland have been somewhat of a ‘sleeping giant’ in English football for too long now, with this being the club’s fourth consecutive season in the third-tier of English football.
They need to win promotion this term and get back on the right path back towards the Premier League, with their days of playing in the top-flight likely to feel like a distant memory for the Stadium of Light faithful.
Signing a player of Gabriel’s quality would be a real statement of intent, and Sunderland’s supporters should be buzzing about this recent update on the defender’s future with Nottingham Forest.
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