Sunderland Transfers: 10 Players Derek McInnes Could Bring With Him

4. Marc Roberts

The Barnsley defender was a David Moyes target before Sunderland were even relegated, as the Black Cats' then-manager hunted for new talent ahead of their demotion.

The centre back is a fan favourite for the Tykes, captaining the side to a respectable 14th place finish in the 2017/18 season. Though the club has fostered Premier League moves for John Stones and Alfie Mawson in the past, Roberts has remained coy on his future with the Yorkshire club.

After being linked with Sunderland as well as West Brom and Aston Villa last season, he commented that he was still set on a future at Oakwell. He said, “I’m just concentrating on leading Barnsley out at Oakwell and wearing the captain’s armband with pride. You try and ignore it when you’re linked away. It happens to a lot of people at this club".

Though it was Moyes rather than McInnes with an eye on the 26-year-old, the implication of interest from other clubs (including Sunderland) could force new interest should the former Aberdeen boss put forth an appealing pitch.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett