The January transfer window sees a lot of money spent, even in the Championship, where teams like Leeds United and Sheffield United have a fair bit of money to burn.
Championship transfer fees are getting higher and higher. The likes of Leeds United, Sheffield United, or even Burnley could spend £10 million on a single player, and it might not even make a dent in their resources.
Sunderland though are running a much tighter ship. The Black Cats haven’t been in the Premier League for nearly eight years now and so parachute payments are long gone at the Stadium of Light.
But Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has the club back on track. And Regis Le Bris in the dugout has made the club’s Premier League dreams come alive, with the Black Cats in 4th place of the Championship table after Sunderland beat Sheffield United on New Year’s Day.
Whether Sunderland spent any money during January remains to be seen. But two days into the window and they’re now set to receive a windfall, and from an unlikely source.
Elliot Embleton move to Carlisle United triggers Sunderland windfall
Former Sunderland man Elliot Embleton has moved clubs. Going into the New Year, it was revealed that Carlisle United were set to sign Embleton after he’d spent just half a season with the Seasiders.
Embleton had quickly fallen out of favour under former Sunderland manager Steve Bruce, who’s now in charge at Bloomfield Road. Then on Thursday, League Two strugglers Carlisle United confirmed the signing of Embleton on a permanent basis.
When Embleton left Sunderland for Blackpool during the summer, it was revealed by journalist Michael Graham that the Black Cats weren’t receiving an initial fee. Instead, they’d receive a ‘chunky’ sell-on fee should the 25-year-old move on from Blackpool.
Elliot Embleton speaks out after Carlisle United move
Embleton remains embedded into Sunderland folklore after scoring one of the club’s two goals in the 2022 League One play-off final.
And he’s shown great determination to play by leaving Blackpool to drop all the way down to the foot of the League Two table with Carlisle United. Sunderland fans will be the first to say that a fit and firing Embleton could tear apart League Two opposition.
Speaking after making the move, Embleton told the club: “A couple of weeks ago, Rob [Clarkson, sporting director at Carlisle United] got in touch and just explained what was going on and just said there’s a long-term project and I was quite excited by that and I wanted to be part of it.
“It was also about playing the style of football that suits me under this manager and getting games in again and enjoying it.”
