Sunderland Fan View: Is it time to cash in on Jordan Pickford?

David Moyes is hoping to get a few hours to relax on Christmas Day. However, Sunderland’s Boxing Day clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford will likely play heavy on his mind. He has already spoken recently of the financial limitations placed upon him given the club’s precarious position, which will not help his turkey dinner go down any easier.

The Scot will not find a hidden stash of cash inside his cracker to help strengthen his squad either. Instead, what is clear is that during the January transfer window he will likely have to sell first in order to add his own players to the struggling Black Cats side. That is the sad appraisal of the situation.

Unfortunately for Moyes the assets at the club are few and far between. Jordan Pickford, Lamine Kone, Fabio Borini and Jermain Defoe are perhaps the only four players within the Sunderland ranks who could command any sort of significant transfer fee.

It is no secret that top Premier League teams are monitoring young Pickford closely and from the few individuals at Sunderland that are likely to attract interest, it is the Washington-born stopper that feels most likely to leave. Certainly, it would not surprise anyone to see him at a Liverpool or a Tottenham come the end of January 2017.

The question is, though, is it the right time to cash in? Well, the sale of a local born Academy product is not a deal that the Scot will be keen to sanction of course, but he has previous for such actions. The offer would need to make sense for Sunderland. That is the key in all of this.

However, it should be acknowledged that is extremely unlikely the Black Cats will ever see the best of Pickford. That period in his career seems, inevitably, for some other side to enjoy instead.

Therefore, with that in mind and as much as it pains me to say, selling Pickford could be Moyes’ Wayne Rooney moment on Wearside. Perhaps a £20million offer from a top six side would be considered very seriously by Sunderland.

Should a huge bid be accepted it may just be enough to bring in three or four players to bolster the squad in time for the Premier League run. This could make the difference between survival and relegation, just as Sam Allardyce proved this time last year.

Any sale would also be quite timely as Vito Mannone has recently returned from injury and it has only been Pickford’s remarkable form that has kept him from reclaiming the number one spot between the sticks.

Despite the arguably bleak outlook this Christmas, Moyes seems to be getting on with the task in hand admirably. Whilst that is of course, his job, many would and have walked away from similar situations.

Success for Moyes will be judged at the end of the season of course but the decisions he will make in the next few weeks will no doubt play a significant part and provide some festive cheer.