“A wise decision” – Sunderland complete player agreement: The Verdict | OneFootball

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…

Recently, Sunderland agreed a new contract with Corry Evans, with the player signing a deal to extend his stay on Wearside.

A big player in their promotion winning season last year, his leadership on and off the field is clearly a big factor as to why they’ve enjoyed success of late and he’ll no doubt be itching to be involved more next season after a campaign that has been brought to a halt by an injury recently.

What do some of our writers think of the news, though? We take a look now…

George Dagless

I think it’s a wise decision from Sunderland.

The Black Cats have some great players in their squad and also some really talented youngsters but you also need that blend of experience as well and I think Evans obviously provides that.

With news like this, I always like to take a look at the replies on Twitter from fans to really gauge their opinion of a deal as well and the vast majority were really pleased with this news, citing Evans’ quality and leadership attributes, and also how much they’ve missed him thanks to that recent injury.

The fans are the best judges of deals like this and I think it’s clear that this is a piece of news that has gone down well on Wearside – with the hope there is more to come in the next few weeks.

Adam Jones

Considering some of the young options they have in the middle of the park including Pierre Ekwah and Dan Neil, having an experienced head like Evans can only be a good thing for the Black Cats.

Edouard Michut may also sign permanently at the end of this term and with this in mind, a balance between youth and experience in the midfield department needs to be struck.

Already working with Tony Mowbray in the past, the 32-year-old has already become accustomed to his manager’s methods and is certainly a leader in the dressing room who could make major off-field contributions in the coming years.

It could be argued that the Black Cats should have waited until the end of the season to see how his recovery was going before making such a big contract decision – but it was a good decision to get him tied down now to provide certainty.

Marcus Ally

The 32-year-old has been a very reliable performer and an important leader for the Black Cats in the last couple of seasons.

It is unlikely that he hits the heights that he has previously in his career, but that does not mean he cannot still have crucial influence on the group.

Evans adds balance to the midfield and has had a great impact on Dan Neil’s development alongside him, keeping him on board was essential.

It is all well and good bringing players to the club who are destined to play at a higher level and potentially enable the club to turn a profit, but you need that blend of experience to be successful, Evans alongside the likes of Danny Batth and Alex Pritchard offer that.

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