Chris Mepham loan: What are Sunderland's chances of making it permanent?

Never fall in love with a loan player, right? Well, Chris Mepham is certainly testing Sunderland fans' subscription to that theory at the moment.

Chris Mepham - Sunderland defender / IMAGO / NurPhoto

Regis Le Bris has described Chris Mepham as ‘a gift’ as he praised the defender’s performance in the 1-0 win over Hull City.

Mepham was Sunderland’s standout performer at the MKM Stadium as the Black Cats grinded out a 1-0 win that returned them to the top of the Championship table.

The centre-back has been a brilliantly calming presence on Wearside since joining on a season-long loan from Bournemouth on transfer deadline day, and the added experience he has brought to the squad has unquestionably been invaluable.

“It’s certainly not difficult to manage this type of player,” Le Bris said of Mepham. “He plays for the team, he has very good experience and is very important in the dressing room and on the pitch, individually and with the others.

“It is like a gift for a coach and a team like us. His maturity is very helpful for us."

Will Sunderland be able to sign Chris Mepham permanently?

Chris Mepham - Sunderland defender on loan from Bournemouth / IMAGO / PA Images

Unlike with Wilson Isidor, Sunderland do not have an automatic option to buy Chris Mepham after his loan spell. That largely is because Bournemouth have a decision to make on his contract.

The Cherries paid a reported £12million for the defender when they signed him from Brentford in January 2019. He signed a four-and-a-half year deal so he is technically out of contract this summer.

However, as we have seen Sunderland do of late, Bournemouth built in an option to automatically extend that by another year if they want to.

“This is my final year and I think [Bournemouth] have the option of next year,” Mepham said in September shortly after joining Sunderland on loan.

“I don't want to look too far ahead. I think naturally you keep it week by week because a lot can happen in a short period of time.

“Like I said, I think the most important thing for me at this stage of my career is just playing football and getting regular game time which is something I've probably missed over the last couple of years.

“I think all that will look after itself, but I think for me the most important thing is just getting game time, staying fit and staying injury-free. Of course, the most important thing is helping the team and trying to do as best I can for the football club.”

It feels highly unlikely that Bournemouth will choose to release a player they paid a lot of money for on a free when they will be able to demand a decent fee for him, so then it becomes a question for the open market really.

Sunderland would surely be well-positioned if they wanted to sign Mepham permanently next summer, especially if they achieve promotion by then.

However, there is always the danger that Mepham rebuilds and perhaps even enhances his reputation in the Championship with Sunderland, who fail to get promoted, and then a Premier League side move for him.  

There is also a chance that Sunderland maybe try to head off that scenario by trying to make his loan deal a permanent one in January, although we don't really have a precedent for the current ownership making that kind of a move.

So, it’s probably best to try not to get too attached at the moment, even if he is making that pretty difficult with his performances.