If Will Grigg was hoping another club would end his miserable time on Wearside this summer then he may be bitterly disappointed.

The Northern Ireland international arrived in January 2019 to much fanfare - aside from having a viral chant about him the striker also knows how to score goals at League One level especially, which is why the Black Cats paid the best part of £3 million to secure his signature.

Fans who were expecting an immediate impact from Grigg in-front of goal would end up disappointed - he netted just four times in 18 games in the half-season that Sunderland fell to Charlton Athletic in the play-off final, and the following campaign saw Grigg play just 20 times with just one league goal to his name.

After being a bit-part player for the first half of the 2020-21 campaign, Grigg was loaned out to a former stomping ground of his in Milton Keynes Dons, where he regained some of his old self by scoring eight times in 20 matches.

It wasn't expected that Grigg would be kept around by Lee Johnson this summer, however the departure of Charlie Wyke has forced a rethink of the club's plans.

The 30-year-old forward has appeared in pre-season for the Black Cats but there has been transfer interest in him earlier this summer from the Dons, with Russell Martin admitting he'd like Grigg back and also another former club in Wigan, although that link was played down by the Latics.

 

 

 

 

In the Dons' case though, both Mo Eisa and Troy Parrott have now signed for the club, and that would surely make their need for Grigg now very minimal.

Oxford United wanted Grigg back in the January transfer window with Karl Robinson a big fan, but there's been no update on a fresh approach from the U's.

According to the Sunderland Echo, the belief is that due to the lack of transfer interest and also the Black Cats' depleted options right now up-front, Grigg will still be a Sunderland player when the transfer window slams shut on August 31.

Whether Johnson can get a tune out of Grigg remains to be seen, but at this moment it looks as though the striker will be on Wearside for a little while longer.