Sunderland trio Jack Rodwell, Didier Ndong and Lamine Kone are all set to be made available for transfer in January, according to reports in The Football League Paper.

Black Cats chairman Ellis Short is keen to balance the club’s crippling debt following their relegation from the Premier League, and believes that player sales is the most efficient way to achieve this goal.

Rodwell has been a complete flop since his move from Everton, with the player once touted as the future of the English midfield struggling to assert himself in the second tier.

Ndong and Kone have been impressive so far this season, but huge wages and the possibility of garnering huge fees for the players has been enough to convince Short to part with their services in January.

Sunderland are already in big trouble, lying in 23rd place following the opening eleven rounds of Championship action, and fans will be devastated to hear of the departures halfway through the season.

The club may need to reinvest a small percentage of the funds into player recruitment, otherwise the prospect of back-to-back relegations could become a real possibility.

The Verdict

Sunderland are a complete mess at the moment.

Staring another relegation in the face and in crippling debt, Short knows that he something needs to be done and fast.

If he can balance the books this season and keep the Black Cats up, then the club should be in a strong position next year to begin to think about challenging for promotion.

If the club go down however, Sunderland fans will be in complete uproar.

They have to understand that player sales are necessary at this stage to ensure the long-term future of the club, and Short will certainly be conducting these sales begrudgingly.

However the disappointment of a horrible season cannot be ignored, and fans can only pray that they are not watching their side in League One next season.

Sunderland fans, what is your opinion on the state of your club at the moment? Have your say below...