Sunderland are in pole position to sign Bristol City defender Bailey Wright. According to Football Insider, the Black Cats are in talks to sign Wright on loan with a view to a permanent deal in the summer. The 27-year-old is in the last six months of his contract at City.
Sunderland Closing in on Bristol City Defender Bailey Wright
Loan Deal With Full Wages
Bristol Live understand that Phil Parkinson and Sunderland are willing to pay Wright’s wages in full for the duration of the loan deal. With the Black Cats willing to take the player and his wages, City boss Lee Johnson is reportedly happy for the deal to go ahead.
Move to Preston North End From Australia
Wright moved to Preston in 2009 after leaving his native Australia. He initially played for their youth teams but quickly moved up to the first-team squad. He appeared in the League Cup in 2010 and made his League debut in March 2011. Wright would go on to play over 200 games for the Lilywhites, scoring 8 goals.
Switch to Bristol City
During the 2017 January transfer window, Wright signed for Bristol City. The defender would become an important part of the Robins team. He featured as the club reached the semifinals of the League Cup before losing to Manchester City five three on aggregate. He played more than 80 games at Ashton Gate before falling down the pecking order.
Australia International
Wright is an established international with Australia. He followed his goalscoring debut for the Socceroos in 2014 with a further 23 caps for his country. In 2018, having been named in the Australia preliminary squad for the World Cup, he narrowly missed out on the final 23 man squad.
Lee Johnson Has Only Praise For Bailey Wright
Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has only had good words to say about his captain:
“Sometimes Bailey Wright gets some unfair criticism from the support base – but let me tell you, he’s one of the best professionals I’ve worked with and the best captain I’ve worked with and it’s certainly good to see him in mind and body extremely fit.”
Bailey Wright Would Give Parkinson More Options
Wright is a central defender but a versatile one. Comfortable playing in a back four, as part of a back three which is Phil Parkinson’s preferred formation at present or as a full-back. With a player who is comfortable playing in several positions across the defence, Parkinson will have options should he need them in the second half of the season. Sunderland are pushing for promotion and players who can play in a variety of positions could prove invaluable.
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