Earlier rumours that Nicolas Lombaerts has failed his Sunderland medical look to be disappointingly true. According to the Sunderland Echo, a fee had been agreed for the Zenit centre back, thought to be in the region of £5,000,000. Personal terms are also believed to have been agreed upon, disproving reports that a wage dispute was the reason for this delay. The 30 year old has been a prime target for the Black Cats in recent weeks, and would have strengthened an ageing, sparsely populated Sunderland defence. The only centre backs remaining in the senior squad are John O'Shea, Wes Brown, Sebastian Coates and Santiago Vergini - and the latter looks to be on his way out of the club. The Argentinian has not travelled to America for the customary pre-season tour, and was last seen departing an under-21s game in a taxi earlier this week. Of the remaining centre backs, only Coates looks to be a long term prospect. The former Manchester United pairing of O'Shea and Brown are surely nearing the end of their playing careers, both now in their mid-30s, while it only seems a matter of time before Vergini departs. The onus is now on Advocaat and Congerton to seek out further targets in time for the upcoming season, while frustration for Sunderland fans will surely continue to grow.
