Nathan Bishop leaves: 4 players Sunderland AFC should loan out this summer | OneFootball

There is going to be a lot of movement in terms of ins and outs at Sunderland Football Club this summer.

The Black Cats endured a frustrating 2023/24 season, as the club looked on course to be making a push for the top six.

But a sudden change in manager saw their season unravel, and they went from fighting at the top end to slowly heading towards the relegation zone.

The club were very lucky to not find themselves entangled in the relegation scrap, as they finished the season in 16th place, six points clear of the bottom three.

Sunderland put Mike Dodds in charge of the remainder of the season, and they are now looking to find a permanent manager.

So, a new boss is likely to mean more personnel changes at the club, so with that said, here we have looked at two players who Sunderland should loan out this summer…

Nathan Bishop

Nathan Bishop has just finished his first season at the Stadium of Light, as he joined the club last August from Manchester United.

The 24-year-old had been with the Premier League side since 2020 after impressing while playing for Southend United.

Bishop never got a chance at Old Trafford, as he played for the club’s academy and was seen as a third choice or even less during his time there.

He did have a loan period at Mansfield Town, which he impressed in and that may have been what made Sunderland want to sign him.

Unfortunately for Bishop, he joined another club that had an impressive number one goalkeeper, and it meant it was hard for him to change that.

Anthony Patterson played in all but one league game this season, with Bishop replacing him in that match. That game was against Sheffield Wednesday in the final match of the season, as Dodds allowed the 24-year-old to start his first league game for the club.

Apart from that appearance, Bishop played in the EFL Cup, and the rest of his game time came in Premier League 2.

So, given that he is under contract until the summer of 2026, Sunderland could look to send the former Man United goalkeeper out on loan this summer. This may be a sensible move from the club, as the player needs to get some regular minutes under his belt, as in the last few seasons, he has spent the majority of them on the sidelines.

If Patterson stays at the Stadium of Light, it is unlikely that Bishop is going to get ahead of him, so sending him out on loan to a League One or Two side could be the best decision, as he gets a season of football, and he surely comes back a better player for it.

The only thing that could potentially stop this from happening is if the Black Cats sell Patterson during the summer, as Bishop could either be the man to fill the void or the club is unlikely to lose their second keeper as well.

Ben Middlemas

Ben Middlemas is a player who has come through the ranks at Sunderland, having been promoted to the under-21 side last summer.

The 19-year-old signed a contract last summer that keeps him there until the summer of 2025, with the club having the option to extend that by another year.

So, he is someone who has impressed at the Stadium of Light and is obviously highly thought of.

Middlemas did well in his first season of under-21 football, as he played 12 times in Premier League 2 and another four games in the PL2 play-offs.

In those appearances, Middlemas scored one goal and recorded one assist, as he played in central midfield as well as occasionally playing out wide.

But like many young players, next season may be a good time for the player to get some experience of first-team football, and a loan for the duration of the campaign could be ideal in the next phase of his development.

The Black Cats have several options in the midfield area, so it is unlikely Middlemas will get a chance in the next season. Therefore, a loan move to a League One or Two side could be perfect for his development, and it allows him to impress the new manager in first-team football.

Jewison Bennette

The other player that Sunderland should look to loan out this summer is 19-year-old Jewison Bennette.

The Costa Rican has been at the Stadium of Light since August 2022, when he joined the club from Herediano, a football team in his native country.

So far, Bennette’s time with Sunderland hasn’t gone quite to plan, as he’s spent most of it on the sidelines or on loan elsewhere.

In his two seasons at the club, Bennette has played just 20 times for the Black Cats; 15 of those games came in the Championship last season.

The others have come in the FA Cup and EFL Cup, with him appearing just twice this season, for a total of 79 minutes of football.

January arrived, and Sunderland decided to loan out the 19-year-old to Aris Saloniki for the remainder of the campaign. But that loan didn’t go as expected, as the winger has played just twice for the club, with his last appearance coming in February.

So, he will return to the Stadium of Light, not being much better for that experience in Greece, and with his contract running until 2026, Sunderland may look to ship the player out on loan once again this summer.

Bennette needs to find a place where he can play regular football, which will aid his development. It is no good for him to stay with the Black Cats, play in their academy, and then make a handful of appearances in the league.

So, if game time can’t be afforded, Sunderland should look to loan out the 19-year-old, but this time for the season and to a club where he will play, and it will improve his game. If the Black Cats see him as a long-term replacement for Jack Clarke, then they need to let him get minutes under his belt, as he isn’t ready to fill that void yet.

Furthermore, there are players such as Patrick Roberts, Romaine Mundle, and Abdoullah Ba that are ahead of him, and whoever the new manager is, they may decide to keep them in the squad ahead of someone like Bennette; therefore, sending him out on loan will allow him the football he needs if he is ever going to get a regular chance at Sunderland.

Timur Tuterov

Sunderland signed Timur Tuterov in April 2023 on a free transfer, as the player had left Ukrainian side Kolos.

Tuterov is only 18, and this is his first experience of football in England, as he’d been playing for Kolos beforehand, as mentioned.

Last season, Tuterov, who is a centre-forward by trade, played just once in the Premier League 2 last season, and while he didn’t score, he did register an assist in the game.

In the 2023/24 campaign, the 18-year-old figured a lot more for the Black Cats, playing nine times in Premier League 2, during which he scored 1 goal, while he also played three times in the PL2 play-offs, and he scored twice in three games.

So, the young striker has featured more for Sunderland’s academy team this time around, and the next step in his development could be a loan move to a lower-league English side.

Sunderland hold their academy players in high regard, and given their lack of forward options, Tuterov could soon be called upon. But before that, he needs to experience first-team football, and therefore, a loan move for the 2024/25 season could be the perfect start to a career that looks promising.