Former Sunderland supervisor Alex Neil led the membership again to the Championship by securing promotion out of League One within the 2021/22 marketing campaign.
The Black Cats spent 4 years within the third tier of English soccer following their back-to-back relegations from the highest two divisions between 2016/17 and 2017/18.
Sunderland have been unable to interrupt out of League One within the first three seasons and this resulted in a lot of gamers coming out and in of the Stadium of Gentle throughout that point.
One participant they’d a mare with throughout these three years was attacking midfielder George Honeyman, who had risen via the youth ranks on the membership.
The 28-year-old was a product of the academy system and performed within the Premier League and the Championship earlier than turning into the skipper within the third division.
Jack Ross made him the membership captain in the summertime of 2018 and hailed the expertise, saying: “George’s perspective in direction of coaching every day is completely incredible.”
Was promoting Honeyman a mistake?
Sure
No
Ross added: “He’s a mature and clever younger man, and his vitality ranges and utility in video games will likely be a serious asset for us, so I’m delighted he’s needed to tackle the accountability.”
He performed 38 instances within the 2018/19 league marketing campaign and chipped in with six targets and three assists from the center of the park.
In the summertime of 2019, the Mackems determined to money in on the midfielder as an alternative of operating the danger of him leaving on a free switch the next 12 months. He signed for Championship aspect Hull Metropolis in a deal reported to be price £400k to the Black Cats.
His kind since departing Wearside will certainly depart Sunderland regretting that they didn’t take a danger and try to persuade him to place pen to paper on a brand new contract.
Though he suffered relegation from the second tier in his first season at Hull, Honeyman caught the attention with an exceptional marketing campaign in League One in 2020/21. He averaged a elegant SofaScore score of seven.36 throughout 42 appearances – a rating larger than any Black Cats participant managed at that degree final time period – as he scored 4 targets and supplied a whopping 14 assists, while creating 21 ‘huge possibilities’.
The midfielder then made 35 appearances within the Championship for the Tigers in 2021/22 – scoring 5 and aiding 4 – earlier than sealing a transfer to Millwall, the place he has loved a powerful begin to the season.
Honeyman has averaged a SofaScore score of seven.00 throughout 9 appearances within the division this 12 months, scoring as soon as and aiding one aim while creating 1.6 possibilities per sport. That might place him fifth within the present Sunderland squad amongst gamers who’ve performed a minimum of 5 matches.
On the time of writing, Transfermarkt worth him at £1.35m, roughly 238% greater than the preliminary £400k Hull paid to snap him up from Wearside.
Due to this fact, the Black Cats made a mistake by promoting Honeyman as his worth has gone up, consistent with his spectacular performances on the pitch, since leaving the membership.
They need to have taken the danger of him leaving for nothing, as an alternative of accepting a measly price as they might have been capable of work on a brand new deal, thus cementing his future within the north east.
