Sunderland transfer rumours rated: Ross Stewart to Middlesbrough plus two others

How seriously should Sunderland fans take the rumours linking Ross Stewart with Middlesbrough?

We all love Sunderland transfer rumours right? No, me neither, but suppose we are going to have to look at them regardless.

They appear to have started a little earlier this year too, probably due to the World Cup starving websites of club coverage.

So, let’s have a look at what is out there and try to assess how seriously we should be taking them.

Ross Stewart to Middlesbrough

Until Ross Stewart signs a new deal at Sunderland, we are probably going to have to get used to rumours about him leaving. In fact, given the club’s model of developing and selling talent, rumours of everyone leaving will likely become commonplace.

Stewart has been linked with Rangers, Swansea and Blackburn before and the latest name, thrown into the hat by the Daily Record, is Middlesbrough. That, though, was merely a reaction piece to another story claiming Rangers and Celtic were about to move for him. Naturally, the north east press have jumped on it too by reporting the rumours, one of them rather mischievously describing it as a ‘major update’.

In other words, it’s all probably just various websites pursuing clicks and reacting to google search traffic as each one of them helps to grow the rumour – which I guess we have now done too. Curses.

Regardless, if Ross Stewart is available then, yes, he’s going to be a wanted man. Middlesbrough, along with everyone else, will have noticed how good he is and will have an interest. None of what has been reported has suggested any kind of meaningful development, though. The original source, Football League World, has no real track record of insider knowledge on Sunderland so it’s one that, for now, we can probably put to one side – albeit nervously given the Stewart contract situation.

Rating: 3/10

Cameron Archer to Sunderland

According to Football Insider, Sunderland are back on the trail of Aston Villa youngster Cameron Archer. The striker had a good loan spell at Preston last season, but he has not been able to translate that into opportunities at Aston Villa.

Archer is still highly-rated at Villa, so they will likely be looking to loan him out again to help his development. No one needs reminding how short Sunderland are on strikers either and Archer, who is reminiscent of Jermain Defoe, would certainly add something different.

The story comes from Pete O’Rourke, who can certainly be regarded as a very well-informed and reliable source. He does not do Sunderland stories all that often, but when he does they tend to be very much on the mark.

Will Sunderland sign Archer? Who knows. I think we can trust there is some serious interest though, given the source.

Rating: 9/10

Jewison Bennette to Valencia

This rumour emerged from the Spanish press, and that makes it tough to judge. It was El Gol Digital who first reported that Valencia want to sign Bennette for four times what Sunderland paid for him last summer.

The temptation is always to assume foreign sources are more reliable than those at home, although that is more reflective of a lack of trust in the UK sports media than anything else, I suspect. El Gol Digital are also not a sports-specific website, so they are probably not especially well-informed on top secret Valencia transfer policy.

Certainly, the same journalist who reported it, Miguel Castillo, also covers the Spanish version of First Dates. I’m not saying that means he can’t be well-connected with football, but it does create a degree of doubt.

More to the point, Sunderland have made a long-term commitment to Bennette and I suspect they have bigger plans for him than just a quick flip.

Rumour Rating: 3/10