"Get it done" - Sunderland AFC urged to be ruthless with player exit | OneFootball

Nazariy Rusyn is closing in on a move away from the Black Cats after a tough year-and-a-half.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sunderland AFC have shocked many this season, and they continued their march towards promotion on Tuesday evening with a 1-0 win away at a struggling Derby County.

Eliezer Mayenda's strike just before the half hour mark at Pride Park Stadium proved to be the only goal of the game, allowing the Black Cats to keep pace with the top two ahead of the visit of Plymouth Argyle to the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

There were some fears heading into the season that Regis Le Bris had not addressed the striker department issue properly, but Wilson Isidor has done excellently to put those to rest, and he has made the position his own.

However, this has left Nazariy Rusyn out in the dark, meaning that he has made just a handful of appearances for Sunderland in 2024/25, and he now looks set to depart the club.

Verdict made on Rusyn's upcoming departure

The Ukrainian striker was left out of the squad for the Black Cats' trip to Derby, and he has played just over an hour of football in the Championship this season.

Le Bris confirmed following the victory that the 26-year-old is set to leave the club this month, with the Wearsiders in advanced talks to let go of their number 15.

Football League World has asked their Sunderland Fan Pundit, Jordan Newcombe, if he believes that his club should let go of Rusyn this month and how much money they should realistically expect from the deal.

He told FLW: "A lot of us have obviously seen in the past that he's going to be leaving for a Ukrainian club to go back home on a permanent deal, and then recently we've heard it's going to be on a loan.

"Personally, I would rather have it as a permanent. It just hasn't worked out here for Rusyn, and he has played a few games, and he has scored a couple of goals, including a vital one against Middlesbrough last season to secure a point for the Mackems. But unfortunately, it hasn't worked out other than the odd few games.

"We paid £2.5m, and I'm not too sure if we'll get that back. We could offload him for £5m-£7m. Obviously, he might not be worth that, but if we can snatch about £5m for him, then 100%.

"I just don't think he's got a place here anymore. We’ve got Isidor, we’ve got Mayenda and if we get the other strikers that we have been linked with, there will be no room for him, especially with Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi coming through the U21s."

Jordan continued: "He has played in some of the cup games. He was involved against Stoke in the FA Cup, and he has been on the bench for a few games and I feel like we need to try and get him involved a lot more than Rusyn.

"So, if we can try and get rid of him for more than £2.5m, I'd say 100%. I think we just need to get rid of him altogether. Obviously, I loved him when he was playing for the club more frequently, but unfortunately it hasn't worked out.

"So, if he decides to go, and if he needs to go, then just get it done. It gives us more options in the future for more strikers."

Sunderland may have to cut their losses with Rusyn

While there will be a desire to get as much money as possible for Rusyn, it may be slightly unrealistic to expect the fee to be more than that of what Sunderland paid for him.

He has struggled in England to find consistency, and he is completely out of favour at the Stadium of Light at the minute. Le Bris wants to free up some space in his squad and wage bill, and the club may accept a relatively low bid to allow the striker to move on.

It's unfortunate that it has not worked out for the 26-year-old in the north-east, but the best situation for both parties now is that a move goes through for him and he can get to play consistent football once again.

For Sunderland, their expectations are now greater, and plans will be in place for next season if promotion is achieved, and a new striker may be one of their priorities.