Mackems star could have been Henderson 2.0, now he's finished at Sunderland

Staring at both Burnley and Leeds United in the Premier League, Sunderland will be glad they’re not in the horrid grip of a relegation battle as we hurtle into April and May.

While their fellow promoted foes are fighting it out for every point available in their mission to beat the drop, Regis Le Bris‘ Black Cats are comfortably sat in the middle of the table, with an impressive 11 wins next to their name, from 31 matches.

Therefore, the Wearside giants shouldn’t find it too difficult to keep their star players around this summer, heading into another Premier League campaign.

This hasn’t always been the case in Sunderland’s recent history, though, with former stars at the Stadium of Light often having to leave Wearside behind to make a name for themselves in the top-flight.

What happened to Sunderland’s record sales?

Sunderland has been a hotbed for some exciting young talent emerging in recent years, with Jobe Bellingham going down as the club’s record sale just last year at the £27.8m mark.

Sunderland’s most expensive sales of all time

The Black Cats have sold some young players for big money.

The Black Cats gambled on the attacking midfielder coming good when snapping him for £3m from Birmingham City when he was only 17 years of age.

Thankfully, this risky move more than paid off, with 11 goals and four assists coming his way at the Stadium of Light, from 90 appearances, resulting in a bumper club-record move occurring to Borussia Dortmund.

Sunderland’s most expensive sales of all time
Player	Fee	Sold to	Year
Jobe Bellingham	£27.8m	Borussia Dortmund	2025
Jordan Pickford	£25m	Everton	2017
Jordan Henderson	£20m	Liverpool	2011
Darren Bent	£18m	Aston Villa	2011
Jack Clarke	£15m	Ipswich	2024
Patrick van Aanholt	£12m	Crystal Palace	2017
Simon Mignolet	£11m	Liverpool	2013
Tom Watson	£10m	Brighton	2025

He will hope he can go on to be a household name in the Bundesliga, or wherever he ends up next during the rest of his career, like both Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson have managed to become in the Premier League, away from beginning their respective footballing educations at Sunderland.

Indeed, both Pickford and Henderson have the Wearside giants to thank for their first chances in the top-flight, before going on to become staples at both Liverpool and Everton on Merseyside, post their brief senior stays at the Black Cats.

The instantly recognisable goalkeeper and midfielder – who banked £45m altogether in sales for their boyhood club – have combined for a staggering 815 appearances together in the Premier League. with Pickford in particular becoming an England regular.

Henderson and Pickford’s career numbers
Stat	Henderson	Pickford
Premier League games	460	355
England caps	88	82
Trophies won	8	0

Since then, the Black Cats have long been searching for another Henderson and Pickford and they might have found one if it wasn’t for injury.

Sunderland star could have been the new Henderson and Pickford

Unfortunately for all the Hendersons, Pickfords, and Bellinghams of this world, there are other players who never quite live up to their full hype.

Dennis Cirkin is falling into this bracket of being a potential star in the making who just ends up falling to the wayside, with the Mackems defender once tipped to be a high-profile sale – like Henderson and Pickford – when Tottenham Hotspur were allegedly sniffing around last summer with a deal of around £20m in the pipeline.

The Latvia international seriously impressed last season, to be touted for such a big move, as Le Bris’ men sealed promotion via the dramatic playoff route, with Cirkin collecting two goals and three assists as a gung-ho option on the left flank.

Winning 5.6 duels per game, too, with Luke O’Nien – who is known to be a warrior for the cause – only winning 3.9 in contrast, it looked as if the 24-year-old was ready for whatever challenges were going to come his way, up a division.

It hasn’t played out like that in reality, though, with the 2025/26 season – while it has been largely a positive one on Wearside as a whole – going down as somewhat of a personal nightmare for the number three.

Only seven Premier League clashes have come his way, as Cirkin’s recurring injury problems have continued to trouble him, with the 24-year-old looking ropey when he has been shoved into the deep end of the starting XI.

His last start against Spurs, towards the start of January, saw him only win two of his five duels, while his passing was also wayward, with possession lost eight times from only 30 touches of the ball.

A £20m move no longer looks as if it’s on the cards for Cirkin, now, as he attempted to follow in the footsteps of Pickford and Henderson.

Rather, with all his missteps this season, he looks to be finished under Le Bris, with his overall future in the game up in the air, as his Sunderland contract is set to expire in June.