Sunderland transfer cash dried up

Sunderland boss Howard Wilkinson has admitted that he cannot buy the club out of trouble as the closure of the transfer window approaches.

The Black Cats, who spent more than £16m (€24m) during the summer on new signings and have since added goalkeeper Mart Poom, are £25m (€36m) in debt and facing a desperate fight against relegation.

Wilkinson and his squad jetted out to Spain for some warm-weather training after Saturday’s 2-1 Premiership defeat at Everton to prepare for an FA Cup fourth-round trip to Blackburn this weekend.

But he headed for the sun with a series of options for re-shaping his squad on a tight budget.

“It’s not easy,” he said.

“I don’t see a massive acceleration taking place and there has not been frantic movement in the first two weeks of the transfer window.

“There’s just not the money around. Everybody I speak to on the telephone are all saying the same. Instead of a transfer window, it’s almost like a swap shop.

“It’s always the same in this situation – you nearly always fancy their best players and they always fancy yours.”

The news will come as no surprise to Sunderland supporters, who have been made aware there would be no cash for Wilkinson after his recruitment to replace Peter Reid.

Wilkinson insists the days of big-money transfers are drawing to an end.

“It just can’t go on,” he said. “The whole of the football industry in Europe is feeling the pinch.”

Meanwhile, Wilkinson has received mixed news on the injury front as he prepares for the game at Ewood Park.

Midfielder Jason McAteer will return to full training next week after five months on the sidelines with a hernia problem, but both Darren Williams and Paul Thirlwell picked up knocks at Everton and are doubts.

Thirlwell, already struggling with a hernia, has a calf strain, while Williams damaged a thigh muscle.

However, there is an outside chance that full-back Stephen Wright, who has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, has an outside chance of making the tie.