Chris Mepham clarifies situation with Sunderland future amid Bournemouth recall talk
CHRIS MEPHAM fully expects to see out the remainder of the season with Sunderland, despite speculation over his future.
The centre-half has six months of his current contract with his parent club, Bournemouth, remaining, although it is understood the Cherries have the option of triggering a clause that would extend the deal by another 12 months.
Mepham signed a season-long loan deal when he moved to Sunderland in the summer, and it has been suggested in various quarters that Bournemouth have a recall option that would enable them to return him to the Vitality Stadium this month, potentially to then look to sell him on.
However, it is understood that no such clause was inserted into the loan agreement that took Mepham to Wearside in the summer.
As a result, a separate recall agreement would have to be struck, with Sunderland extremely unlikely to agree to any scenario that would see them losing one of their most important defenders at the mid-point of the season.
Mepham certainly doesn't want to leave, and speaking ahead of this evening’s home game with Sheffield United, where he is expected to continue alongside Luke O’Nien at the heart of the Black Cats’ back four, the 27-year-old has insisted that he expects to remain on Wearside for the remainder of the campaign, and is looking forward to trying to help Sunderland win promotion.
“Yes, I’m expecting to be here, for sure,” said Mepham, when asked about his plans for the rest of the season. “I've loved my time up here.
“I’m really confident that we can achieve something special this year. I knew it was an exciting project coming here, but since coming up here, I’ve loved every minute of it. Hopefully, I can carry on playing a part in the team being successful.”
