Sunderland have pulled out of a loan deal for Fiorentina’s Bobby Duncan, according to James Pearce of The Athletic. The young forward was hoping to leave Fiorentina as he is not receiving first team football in Italy.
Sunderland No Longer in for Bobby Duncan
Bobby Duncan Will Not Be a Black Cat
Sunderland were in talks with Fiorentina to sign Bobby Duncan on loan. However, this is now not the case after the Black Cats have decided to end their interest.
The forward, who scored four goals for the Italian club’s U19s, hasn’t featured for them since the beginning of December. It was reported that Fiorentina have pleaded with FIFA to be allowed to offload the young winger.
Bobby Duncan’s Mentality
Bobby Duncan left Liverpool under a cloud in the summer after his agent, Saif Rubie, claimed the club were ruining his mental health. The way that his departure came about was unfortunate, as he had struck up a strong partnership with fellow striker Paul Glatzel for the Reds’ U18s. The path to the first team for young attackers is difficult at Liverpool, though with the correct mentality it is accessible.
This toxic mentality continued at Fiorentina, where he also demanded to leave after not playing for the first team. Fiorentina’s sporting director criticised him for expecting to play for the first team immediately. This was always unrealistic, given that Fiorentina made several attacking additions in summer including Franck Ribery. This mentality makes him a difficult player to add to a squad, as attitudes like this can poison dressing rooms.
There may also be difficulties for Fiorentina to offload him before the summer, as players can only feature for two clubs in a season according to FIFA rules. Duncan featured for Liverpool’s U23s before signing for Fiorentina, though the Italian side are seeking clarity on whether youth sides count towards this rule.
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