Sunderland nearing major Ross Stewart contract boost

Ross Stewart may not be able to play again this season, but he could still give Sunderland a big lift.

Michael Graham | Mar 6, 2023

Sunderland nearing major Ross Stewart contract boost /

Ross Stewart is edging closer to providing Sunderland with a major boost by agreeing a new deal to extend his stay on Wearside.

Stewart has been a huge success at Sunderland since joining from Ross County in January 2021, scoring 40 goals in 80 appearances so far.

That tally includes 10 goals from just 13 games in the Championship this season before a serious Achilles injury ended his campaign.

He is currently inside the final 18 months of the deal he originally signed, and vultures are circling. Middlesbrough, Rangers and Brentford have all been taking a keen interest, so getting his future tied down has been a major priority for Sunderland.

The deal is inherently a difficult one for the club to get right because it will be the contract the ushers in a new pay-scale at Sunderland.

The Black Cats only got promoted from League One last season and because of that are operating one of the smallest wage budgets in the Championship.

That will obviously start to change now Championship survival is all but assured, but the club are committed to keeping the change financially sustainable rather than taking the kind of risks on spending that has been the downfall of many other clubs at this level.

Stewart will become the highest paid player at the club, meaning his deal will provide a new benchmark for all future contracts, so it’s a very sensitive negotiation. However, the signs are positive that we are finally approaching a happy conclusion.

Read more Sunderland news

Published Mar 6, 2023

MICHAEL GRAHAM

Michael Graham is a professional sports writer with more than ten years of industry experience. After pursuing football writing by helping establish the Roker Report Sunderland AFC fansite, Michael moved to Planet Sport to cover football. Michael has since worked on many of the sports sites within the Planet Sport network, including Football365, TEAMtalk and Planet Football before leaving to join 90min. As well as football, Michael is an accomplished tennis writer and has been regularly featured on Tennishead, TennisBuzz and Tennis365. It is football that is his first love, though, with Sunderland AFC his particular passion. Contact: michael@buzzpublishing.co.uk