Yesterday, Sunderland announced that they had tied down youth player Adam Richardson to his first professional contract. The goalkeeper is currently representing Sunderland Under-16s.
When Sunderland announced the signing on Twitter, fans were thrilled with the news.
They were happy to see the young player commit the next few years of his career to the Black Cats, and welcomed him to the team with open arms.
https://twitter.com/KINGMAGUIRE1/status/1227933244718493696
Fantastic news. Continued success Adam.
— Peter Beuster (@PeterBeuster) February 13, 2020
Great work lads
— magicmaxi (@tjbrown__) February 13, 2020
Love too see it
— SDGreens (@SDGreensYT) February 13, 2020
However, the news just reminded some fans that they wanted the club to focus on re-signing senior first-team players to new contracts as well.
Players like Chris Maguire have contracts that expire in the upcoming summer. This makes supporters nervous.
So, some contracts are still being offered and signed! What about the 1st team?
— Bill (@bill_hadd50) February 13, 2020
can jon and Chris get contract tied down both hugely important 2 us
— hulk cass (@hulkcass10) February 13, 2020
Time to sort out senior players contracts
— Darren Hill (@dazzasafc85) February 13, 2020
Should be doing this to all our talented boys
— Rhys William (@lincolnSAFC) February 13, 2020
What is the most important thing for Sunderland's management to focus on?
Signing youth
Keeping senior players
What do we think?
Committing young players is a great proactive approach to the future success of the club. However, these fans are right to demand that their club focuses on locking down their ‘big’ stars.
In the last 12 league matches, Maguire has scored or assisted 11 goals. It is a record that proves just how indispensable he is to Phil Parkinson’s side. If he were to walk away from the Stadium of Light in the summer for free, it would be a huge blow to the club.