Sunderland may regret not signing an ‘incredible’ player after his latest heroics.
Sunderland fans won’t want to be reminded of their multiple mistakes over the last year or so, with their summer transfer activity particularly concerning.
Despite signing the likes of Amad Diallo, Dan Ballard and Aji Alese upon their return to the Championship, the Black Cats were unable to follow it up the second time round.
The arrivals of players such as Luis Hemir Semedo, Mason Burstow and Bradley Dack have been extremely underwhelming, leaving supporters to wonder what could have happened if they had approached the window sensibly.
Sunderland’s failure to land a proven goalscorer really let them down, signing four inexperienced youngsters, despite being linked with the likes of Ellis Simms, Tom Cannon and Kieffer Moore this season.
Ellis Simms had already proven himself at the Stadium of Light, having netted seven goals in 17 games whilst on loan during the first half of the 2022/23 season.
The Black Cats were eager to bring him in permanently but scoffed at the idea of paying £8 million for his signature, which Coventry City went onto cough up.
Ellis Simms has shown Sunderland what they are missing
While Simms had a slow start in the Midlands, he now has eleven goals in his last 18 matches in the Championship and has given them a slight chance at reaching the play-offs.
He impressed even further over the weekend too, keeping up his brilliant tally in the FA Cup with a goal and an assist in the semi-final clash with Manchester United.
Coventry found themselves 3-0 down at Wembley but fought back to take it to penalties, with Simms leading the line brilliantly.
The 23-year-old has six goals in his last three matches in the FA Cup – scoring three of them against Premier League opposition.
Journalist James Copley has now admitted that it serves as a ‘reminder’ for Sunderland, who refused to meet his valuation.
Writing on X, he said: “A goal and an assist for Ellis Simms against Manchester United for Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley during their stunning three-goal comeback. Incredible performance and also a reminder that you get what you pay for!”
Sunderland need to cough up the cash this summer
No one could have known that Ellis Simms was going to smash it quite the way he has – picking up 23 goal contributions in 49 games for the Sky Blues.
But Coventry were willing to take that risk and splashed the cash, which could have paid off instantly if they had managed to reach the FA Cup final and also potentially reach the play-offs.
While it is obviously not all down to him, Simms may have helped take the team to Wembley twice in his first season.
Sunderland’s campaign could have gone completely differently if they had been prepared to pay the price for his arrival, but they weren’t, which seems to be a common theme.
The Wearside outfit have to be ready to open their wallet this summer, otherwise we are going to fall further and further behind. We can’t just rely on young players, free transfers and loans to get us promoted.
I’m not saying we have to overpay for players, but we also can’t refuse to pay more than six figures for a striker. That’s not how the market works anymore.