This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Sunderland winger Aiden McGeady has been left in no uncertain terms as to where he stands at the Black Cats after the club told him he can leave the Stadium of Light in January, according to a report on Chronicle Live.
The former Republic of Ireland winger is not currently training with the first team squad and it appears he has played his last game for the Black Cats , with an exit in the New Year the most likely outcome.
So is it a mistake by the Black Cats to let McGeady leave?
We discuss........
Kris Smith
“I’m not sure it is a mistake from Sunderland because they need to solve a serious training ground problem, but it is just a sign of the times at the Stadium of Light.
“They have had a torrid second season in League One and don’t look like securing promotion back to the second tier any time soon.
“The mood in the camp is at an all-time low and this situation is a symptom of that, but there is no doubting the Black Cats will be losing one of League One’s most talented players when he is firing.
“It will allow them to free up a hefty chunk of the wage budget to redistribute to other signings in January, with Phil Parkinson's squad in desperate need of an injection of life next month.”
Ned Holmes
"This looks a really strange one to me for a number of reasons.
"McGeady's been one of their best attacking weapons over the last few years and has been impressive again this season–scoring four times and adding two assists in 15 appearances.
"Parkinson said yesterday that his side need to create more chances, so to look to offload one of their key attacking players in January looks a mystifying decision to me.
"In terms of their promotion chances, this looks a huge mistake to me."
[freshpress-poll ]
Josh Cole
“This could turn out to be a mistake by Sunderland if they do indeed allow McGeady to leave the Stadium of Light in the upcoming transfer window.
“Whilst it is fair to say that the winger has yet to hit top-form in League One this season, he unquestionably possesses an abundance of talent which could potentially help the Black Cats push on over the coming months.
“Given that Sunderland are currently 11th in the third-tier standings, it could be argued that cutting ties with McGeady could effectively kill off their hopes of reaching the play-offs in May.
“Therefore, manager Phil Parkinson should ought to consider opening up a dialogue with the Republic of Ireland international between now and January.”