Sunderland sign Man United midfielder and £6m gem in bold new January transfer window prediction

After such a splashy and successful summer transfer window, hopes are high for Sunderland in the January market, as they attempt to solidify their Premier League survival for 2026/27.

Having broken their transfer record twice in the same day to bring Enzo Le Fee and Habib Diarra to the Stadium of Light, Sunderland went on to spend well over £100 million on players who have been stalwarts this season including Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs.

So there are some wild expectations for The Black Cats to add to their net spend in January. However, Football Manager 26 disagrees.

We loaded up the game to get a preview of Sunderland’s upcoming transfer window, and it backed Sunderland will make a profit of more than £17m. It’s a bold prediction given Sunderland won’t be completely safe entering the second half of the season particularly given they’ll lose such a major proportion of their squad to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sunderland predicted to have a reserved January

Bailey Cadamaerteri - £4.4m from Sheffield Wednesday - Cadamaerteri has had a tough season (though who hasn’t at Hillsborough other than opposition players and fans), with little support from his teammates, but even while feasting off relative scraps, he’s been poor.

Only four Championship players have been worse finishers - including Cameron Archer - by goals minus expected goals scored according to Opta via FBref and he’s only netted once in all competitions. Even last season in League One he only recorded five goals in 23 games, so unless FM26 has seen something we’re missing, it’s hard to understand this move.

Toby Collyer - £1.5m from Manchester United - Collyer had some impressive cameos for The Red Devils last season, and though he’s not been able to find enough consistency on loan at West Bromwich Albion this campaign he’s still worth a punt.

Harrison Armstrong - £6.25m from Everton - Armstrong has been brilliant on loan at Preston North End this season, and a seven-figure transfer fee could turn out to be a bargain for the central midfielder.

Renan Lodi - Free agent - It all went wrong so fast for Lodi. He went from being a regular in the Champions League with Atletico Madrid, and starring for Brazil, to playing in the Saudi Pro League and then ending his Al Hilal contract in the space of a few years. He could be be a coup for Lodi but having not played for months, it’s a high-risk move.

Neil departure ensures profitable winter

Dan Neil - £29.5m to Wolverhampton Wanderers - A key player in Sunderland’s promotion-winning season, Neil has gone from playing almost 4,000 league minutes in 2024/25 to only two this campaign. However, The Black Cats should save this transfer for after African midfielders to return.

Harrison Jones - loan to Grimsby Town - He had some good interventions for Sunderland in the Championship but has struggled for minutes so far in the Premier League. He’s part of a hefty loan class that also includes Blondy Nna Noukeu to Gateshead, Ethan Moore to Accrington Stanley, Elias Lenz to Berliner AK, Jenson Jones to Ross County and Isaac Allan to South Shields.