Sunderland sign £12m winger and Bournemouth star in bold January transfer window prediction

Sunderland may have an extraordinarily strong start to the new Premier League season but judging by the explosive manner in which they approached the summer transfer window, it would scarcely be a shock to see them making some moves in the winter as well.

Figuring out just how the Black Cats might look to bolster Régis Le Bris’ squad isn’t straightforward – so to get some kind of insight, we decided to simulate Sunderland’s January business using perhaps the most advanced software available to the average football analyst: Football Manager.

We jumped a year into the future in the brand new Football Manager 2026 to see what the game predicts Le Bris and his transfer team will do in the new year – and the game reckons that they’ll splash another £40m or so in the cause of survival. And, as it happens, they succeeded. No top four place, mind you, so perhaps the new game isn’t that realistic…

Sunderland spend £40m in January transfer window – according to Football Manager 2026

Saïd El Mala – £12m from 1.FC Köln: The biggest single splash was on talented 20-year-old German winger El Mala, whose combination of pace, flair and dribbling skills marks him out as almost a nailed-on fan favourite. He didn’t score any goals after signing for Sunderland in the game, but it looks like he played pretty well and if his attributes mirror reality, this could be quite an exciting signing were it to take place in the real world.

Merih Demiral – free from Al-Ahli: We noted in our article on the 10 best budget defenders in Football Manager 2026 that Al-Ahli were desperately trying to get rid of Demiral and that he’d be a brilliant cheap buy for any manager. In the game, Sunderland got him without paying a penny, and while the former Juventus and Atalanta centre-back’s performances seem to have been mediocre, it’s hard to argue with the stat line.

Efraín Álvarez - £8.25m from Chivas: We’ll admit to being unfamiliar with Mexico international Álvarez, who seems to have all the tools required to be a fine striker or winger – at this price, Sunderland got a bit of a bargain, and he scored four goals on his way to ensuring their survival.

Yukinari Sugawara – loan to buy for £13m from Southampton: In real life, Sugawara started his Southampton career in promising fashion before his form imploded along with the rest of his team-mates’ last season – in the game, he looks like a solid pick-up, if not the most exciting addition imaginable.

James Hill - £500k from Bournemouth: Hill was only signed as a back-up, trading one Premier League bench for another, but it’s hard to argue with this deal based purely on price. Hill isn’t anything special in the new edition of the game, but he’s not bad.

Adriàn Bernabé - £6.25m from Parma: A box-to-box midfielder with a good engine, the Spaniard only played five games for the Black Cats after signing from Parma – on paper, a canny signing at that price, but not one that made a significant impact. Apparently he spent some time with Manchester City’s academy, which we missed.

Sales help to keep Sunderland’s virtual books balanced

Alan Browne - £2.1m to Middlesbrough: There were a couple of sales, too, but none of the big names left the Stadium of Light – Browne, who is on loan at Boro in real life, agreed a permanent deal with his temporary employers in our game which is set to go through in the summer. An experienced player, but probably not a major loss in the context of signing Nordi Mukiele.

Luke O’Nien - £300k to Watford: One hero of last year’s promotion campaign who didn’t make the grade in the top flight is experienced defensive utility man O’Nien. He was sent to Watford on the cheap to free up some squad space in our game and made just one Premier League appearance before being jettisoned. It’s a cruel game.

Arthur Masuaka – free to Eyüpspor: One member of Sunderland’s army of summer signings did end his spell at the Stadium of Light prematurely – left-back Masuaku, who failed to make a single appearance for the club in our virtual world, departed for Eyüpspor, probably the only club in Turkey to sound like they were founded in Yorkshire.