SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 07: Sunderland player Tommy Watson celebrates his first goal with Chris Rigg (r) and Jobe Bellingham during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland AFC and Stoke City FC at Stadium of Light on December 07, 2024 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Sunderland standout Tommy Watson is one of the few players whose contract doesn’t extend beyond 2026, and the Black Cats had to fend off late deadline-day interest from Brighton in the 18-year-old.
While Sunderland are typically excellent at securing long-term deals for their talents, Watson is an exception, as he will be entering the final year of his contract this summer. Interest in the academy product has been persistent for the past six months. Brighton made another push for him on deadline day—after an earlier attempt last summer—but Sunderland rejected a £13million bid on the January deadline day.
It’s now reported that Brighton plans to pursue Watson again in the summer transfer window, although it’s unclear how much they would be willing to pay given his contract situation.
According to an emerging report from The Northern Echo, Sunderland are in “ongoing” talks with Watson about a potential new deal, with the situation set to be reassessed in the summer if no further progress is made in the coming weeks. The report also notes that clubs other than Brighton have shown interest in Watson, and by summer, once Sunderland knows which division they’ll be playing in for 2025/26, some of these other clubs may also firm up their plans.
So far this season (2024/25), Watson has made 10 Championship appearances for Sunderland and scored two goals for Regis Le Bris’ side.
Despite the drama of deadline day—which might have been a surreal experience if a dream Premier League move had fallen through—Watson remains unfazed. In a recent interview, Kristjaan Speakman stated that Watson is happy to stay at Sunderland and was never actively seeking a move away from the Stadium of Light on deadline day.
However, with strong competition on the left from Romaine Mundle and Enzo Le Fee, Watson could face challenges in securing regular playing time in the latter part of the season.
Sunderland will return to Championship action against Watford on Saturday.
