Sunderland are in the rock bottom position of the Premier league with just four matches remaining for a majority of the clubs. Due to this position, it is widely anticipated that they would return to the Championship after several years in the top flight. This would see the club undergone several changes in terms of players and management. They would be unlikely to offer players the same amount of wages in the championship even with significant amount of parachute payment.

As a result, Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who is on a loan deal till the end of the season, will have to wait until summer in order to make the move permanent according to manager Gus Poyet. Mannone has impressed a lot during his loan spell at the club and Sunderland revealed earlier in the campaign that they would like to make the move permanent. However, the club have been unable to get out of relegation trouble even after the appointment of Poyet. They also have eight players out of contract in the summer.

The manager has confirmed that the club are not conducting talks with any players right now since they want to be clear about their position in the next few months. If Sunderland stay up, then they may extended the contract of most players.

“I think Vito knows that we’ve got eight who are out of contract and loan players, so he’ll have to wait until September. That’s natural. We had our intentions (with out-of-contract players) and they didn’t work out. We’ve stopped now and there’s no more talks with anyone,” said the manager, whose arrival at the start of the season has failed to turn things around. The club are already seven points adrift of safety, but they do have two matches in hand over their nearest rivals.