How Sunderland could free up £20.4k p/w on their wage bill in January | OneFootball

Three Black Cats will be on the chopping block come the new year.

Three of the major casualties of Regis Le Bris' arrival in Sunderland have been Adil Aouchiche, Abdoullah Ba and Nazariy Rusyn.

Shifts in management like the Black Cats have made over the past 12 months or so always have a knock-on effect on more than just the person running the first-team. The trio of players were all signed during Tony Mowbray's time in charge, even though they may not have been the exact profile that he necessarily wanted.

They were then led by Michael Beale following Mowbray's departure. The former Rangers and Queens Park Rangers head coach was then let go of himself after a loss to his predecessor's new side, Birmingham City.

Mike Dodds was given the reins until the end of the season, and then, eventually, Sunderland elected to appoint Le Bris, completing the quartet of Black Cats bosses that Aouchiche, Ba and Rusyn have had since the start of last season.

The Frenchman hasn't afforded much game time to any of them, and the only times that he has used them has been due to other players being missing through injury or suspension.

They could all leave in the January window, which could lead to a big financial saving being made by the Black Cats.

Adil Aouchiche, Abdoullah Ba and Nazariy Rusyn's transfer status

Le Bris revealed, ahead of Sunderland's 1-1 draw against Bristol City, that the trio will be made available for transfer in January, and added that they all need to move on if they want to get more regular first-team action.

"We will see what happens," said the former Lorient boss, via the Northern Echo. "We have to be mindful of the balance of the team and the squad. You need to have subs who have the right mindset, even if they don’t play a lot."

The two midfielders (Aouchiche and Ba) were both close to leaving the club in the summer. They were left out of the squad that faced Portsmouth because there was a chance that they were going to leave the club before the window shut, but neither deal amounted to anything.

All three have had their minutes seriously cut this season, so it should be no surprise if they do move on. In the case of Aouchiche, getting rid of him would mean losing a player that Patrick Roberts described as "a great player."

Sunderland would save £20,400 per week by moving on from unwanted trio

According to Capology, a football website that estimates player wages and payrolls, Aouchiche, Ba and Rusyn earn just over £20,400 per week between them.

If Sunderland were to sell or loan them, depending on the terms of the loan, if that's the route that they went down, they would end up saving that money, which could potentially be put to better use.

Rusyn is the joint-ninth highest earner at the club at £9000 per week, as per Capology. He has just over £1.4 million in wages left on his current contract, which runs until the summer of 2027.

It might not sound like much to a club that may make another eight-figures from player sales, if they let their higher-valued assets go, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a currently redundant wage like that off of their bill.