Sunderland eyeing Rangers transfer swoop: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

With Sunderland facing Luton in the second leg of the Championship play-offs on Tuesday night, it appears they are busy elsewhere, too.

That is according to the Daily Record (15/05, 17:33), who report that the Black Cats are interested in Rangers youngster Charlie Lindsay.

They report that the Northern Irish youth international is set to depart the Scottish giants this summer, and that he is keen to get first-team exposure, having only featured for Rangers’ ‘B’ team so far.

With the transfer link in mind, below, we asked three of our FLW writers for their thoughts on this potential deal from a Sunderland perspective.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a risk given Lindsay’s lack of first-team football, but I’m all for this sort of move.

The young midfielder is just 19-years-old and given time, could potentially prove to be a real asset for Sunderland moving forwards.

His potential is there for all to see when looking at his numbers for Rangers ‘B’ this season – 12 goals and six assists is not to be sniffed at.

Sunderland have also had a knack for signing young talent of late and developing them well, so there’s no reason that could not be the case here.

Declan Harte

This kind of move fits with the model that Sunderland have built their current squad on perfectly.

Lindsay looks a very promising talent having performed well for the Rangers B side this season, contributing 14 goals and seven assists.

This indicates he is ready for the step up to senior football, which he hasn’t received at Rangers.

This move does likely depend on which league Sunderland compete in next season, but this could be a smart move by the Black Cats given how promising a talent Lindsay looks.

James Reeves

Lindsay would be an exciting signing for Sunderland.

He has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 40 appearances for Rangers’ B team in the Lowland League this season, underlining his potential.

There may be some question marks over why Lindsay has not been given an opportunity at senior level at Ibrox, while it would be a huge step up to the Championship, or even the Premier League if the Black Cats won promotion.

Lindsay would be unlikely to feature in the first team immediately, so it would be no surprise to see him loaned out to League One or Two should he arrive at the Stadium of Light.

But on a free transfer, it would be a no-risk signing and with Tony Mowbray’s proven track record of developing young players, it could be the perfect move for his career.