In an announcement this morning, Sunderland revealed the departure of six academy players as part of their retained list for the upcoming season. The list also confirmed that all senior first-team players have been retained, except for Chris Mepham and Salis Abdul Samed, who will be returning to Bournemouth and RC Lens after their loan spells ended. Tommy Watson has officially moved to Brighton & Hove Albion, while Enzo Le Fée is set to become a permanent Sunderland player on a four-year deal starting July 1st.
Sunderland may still pursue a permanent transfer for Chris Mepham, who is expected to leave Bournemouth this summer. Four U21 players, including Ben Crompton and Caden Kelly, will also be leaving the club. In addition, Cuba Mitchell and goalkeeper Kelechi Chibueze are among those departing. Aaron Chung and Daniel Parker will leave when their scholarship deals expire.
The club has offered professional contracts to four young academy players and has had positive discussions with them. As Sunderland prepares for the Premier League, the retained list highlights the work ahead for sporting director Kristjaan Speakman to streamline the squad. None of the loaned-out players have had their option-to-buy clauses activated by their parent clubs, although Hibernian is eager to sign Nectar Triantis permanently.
Sunderland’s full statement on the retained list reads:
“Following the announcement of Enzo Le Fée’s four-year contract, Sunderland AFC has finalized its retained list for the upcoming season. All first-team players have been kept, except for Chris Mepham and Salis Abdul Samed, who are returning to their parent clubs. Tommy Watson has moved to Brighton & Hove Albion after an impactful time at Sunderland, culminating in a crucial goal at Wembley Stadium.
Several U21 squad members will be leaving, along with second-year scholars Aaron Chung and Daniel Parker. Ben Middlemas, Oliver Bainbridge, Marshall Burke, and Daniel Cameron have extended their contracts, while new deals have been offered to Ethan Moore and Timur Tutierov. Four academy players have received their first professional contracts.
We thank each departing player for their contributions and wish them the best for the future.”
