Argentinian pair Oscar Ustari and Santiago Vergini are likely to be at Sunderland for longer than their initial six-month deals, Gus Poyet has hinted.
The Sunderland manager has said that both players are starting English lessons, suggesting that their stays are not expected to be fleeting ones. Ignaccio Scocco, meanwhile, already speaks the language.
Poyet told the Sunderland Echo:
I'm sure it will help that there's three of them here.
Scocco speaks good English because he's been in the Emirates. He didn't learn Arabic there, he learnt English so he's alright.
But the other two start English lessons today.
The goalkeeper is very good. He'll have no problems here.
The same goes for Santiago. He's a good character and he'll be fine in the Premier League.
Now, there's going to be a game on a Monday night when it's raining and it's typical English football and for the first 10 minutes they are surprised. But that's normal.
It always appeared that the short-term deals the pair initially signed was more down to the club's circumstances than concerns over the players. Poyet doesn't seem the indecisive type.
It's obviously just the club protecting themselves, financially, from the threat of relegation. Solid planning, really. If they are only here as long as Sunderland are a Premier League club, let's hope they are here a good while!