With David Moyes in at his Sunderland office just a week, he’s working tirelessly to bring players in to the Stadium of Light with little time to get deals done.
The drawn out departure of Sam Allardyce has left Moyes in a very difficult position. Sunderland has not brought a single player in this transfer window, having lost Emmanuele Giaccherini, Steven Fletcher, and Danny Graham so far.
“I’ve never been off the telephone,” Moyes says of his first few days on the job. “I’ve done an awful lot of work just trying to find out who could be available and what could happen.”
One of those available players Moyes admitted some interest in, and reports have linked the two. With the knowledge that Adnan Januzaj wants out of Manchester United, Moyes and Sunderland seem like a perfect fit for the 21-year-old.
Things are still fuzzy at this point, but playing a little Sherlock Holmes, one is able to deduce that the Januzaj reports are probably legitimate. The Sunderland Echo reported Monday that Moyes has already tabled official bids for two players, although they did not name those players. Moyes confirmed that bids have been submitted, and even outwardly admitted interest in Januzaj and Marouane Fellaini, but he only did so when a reporter asked about those two specific players by name, and his response was still somewhat generic.
“If anyone of those players want to join us, I would be happy to have them because they are excellent players,” Moyes said of the Manchester United duo. “We are interested, but I am sure a host of other clubs are too.” Fellaini is unlikely to be on Sunderland’s radar given his wages at United, and that somewhat waters down these comments.
Finally, a report from Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb says Sunderland is already discussing things with both the club and player, and things appear to be close.
Given Moyes’ Manchester United history – where Januzaj played under the Scotsman 32 times, scoring four goals and assisting six more – a serious go at the young Belgian would make plenty of sense. Januzaj has only played sparingly at each stop he’s made, and would likely be an instant addition to the Sunderland starting lineup.
