Does new Sunderland deal for Dennis Cirkin change Tottenham buy-back clause?
Sunderland have continued to tie down their impressive crop of young players with Dennis Cirkin the latest to sign a new deal.
The defender has been a quiet revelation since joining Sunderland from Tottenham two years ago, and he proved he was more than capable of stepping up to Championship level last season.
Cirkin initially signed a three-year deal when he arrived from Spurs, meaning he was entering into the final 12 months of his contract this summer. He has now extended that, though, committing himself to the club until 2026.
However, it’s important to note that his new contract will not affect the buy-back clause that Tottenham have on Cirkin.
Speaking after signing his new deal, Cirkin said: “It’s such a good feeling and I really am delighted to commit my future to the Club.
“This is one of the best places to be for young players at the moment and we showed that last year – I’m really enjoying it, so I think this is the perfect place for me.
“We got into the Play-Offs last season, which was incredible, and as players, staff and fans, we should all be excited for what’s ahead. I really want to kick on next season and reach new heights.”
Renewing Cirkin’s contract is another impressive piece of work by Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, who has already renewed Trai Hume’s deal and completed the signings of Nectarios Triantis and Jobe Bellingham this summer.
“Dennis has a huge future in front of him and we’re delighted that he’s committed his future to Sunderland AFC,” Speakman said. “Although he was really unfortunate with the nature of the injuries that kept him out of the team at times last season, we saw the progress he’s made towards the end of the campaign and he demonstrated his quality in a Championship environment.
“He’s played an integral part in our success over the last two seasons and will be equally important to our future.”
What buy-back clause do Tottenham have on Dennis Cirkin?
Cirkin was a highly rated by Tottenham when they allowed him to join Sunderland in 2021, so they opted to give themselves a safety net.
They are able to trigger a buy-back for just £6million, but only until June 2024. After that date, the clause expires. Cirkin would have to agree to a move, though.
Tottenham also have a clause guaranteeing them a percentage of any other sale of Cirkin, but such clauses are becoming commonplace as part of Sunderland’s transfer model.
There is obviously a lot of moving parts to it, although it seems unlikely that Spurs would look to trigger it before they are certain that Cirkin can do it at Premier League level, and they won’t get that chance before the clause expires.
What may change it would be if another Premier League club wants to break the bank for Cirkin. Spurs could then, in theory, buy him back for just £6million and then take the big-money deal for themselves, essentially cutting Sunderland out of it. Again, though, Cirkin would have to be complicit in that..
So, short of Cirkin having an absolutely stellar 2023/24 season to the point of proving himself a sure-thing for Tottenham or, the probably much more likely, some Spurs sheer desperation, the buy-back clause shouldn’t be causing too much concern.
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