Sunderland Transfer News: £5 Million Tom Huddlestone Deal Agreed

Evening Standard. Di Canio though will have to convince Huddlestone to take a wage cut of £5,000 a week (dropping from £40k to £35k) to come to the Staidum of Light and there could be concerns that a major ankle injury suffered two years ago and that has caused problems for the player since, could hamper the chances of him passing a medical. The 26-year-old midfielder only made 14 league appearances for Spurs last season and will likely be itching to play regular Premier League football after a lack a opportunities in Andre Villas-boas's side. New Spurs signing Paulinho has added considerable competition in Tottenham's central midfield that already included Scott Parker, Jake Livermore, Sandro and January's new signing, Lewis Holtby. A move for Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen is also muted. The White Hart Lane club made Huddlestone available for transfer earlier in the summer but despite interest from other clubs, namely Fulham, it's only Sunderland who have met Tottenham's asking price. A move to the North East may boost Huddlestone's chances of an England call-up, something he has only had one of in the last three years. With the World Cup looming over every England player this summer, he'll want to make a good impression for boss Roy Hodgson in as many domestic games as possible, and at Sunderland he would likely be on the team-sheet for every match. Sunderland head coach, Paolo Di Canio, hopes to improve and boost his midfield after poor displays from that area of the pitch in the previous term.