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Gus Poyet has issued an update on the protracted deal to take Santiago Vergini to Sunderland and insists the player's desperation to join the club will play a pivotal role should the deal be completed.
The Argentinian is in the process of settling his Estudientes contract, and the complicated nature of the matter has caused moments of uncertainly over the transfer.
But Poyet is hopeful that the central defender will be a Sunderland player soon. He told the Sunderland Echo:
If it goes through, we have to give plenty of credit to the player because he wants this badly.
That gives you a big hope as a manager.
We're getting closer. It's not been easy, we've been going forwards and backwards. One day it's looked ‘yes' and the next it's looked ‘no'.
With such extremes, it's been difficult. But now I'm hopeful.
Now is it just me or is buying players from South America never especially straight-forward? It always seems to be a bit of a saga, and that is before you run the 'will they/won't they" settle gauntlet.
That's not to say that we should close the door on such pursuits, of course. In fact, much of Roberto De Fanti's new scouting network is designed to cherry-pick bargains from South America. In time, I am convinced it will reap rewards for the club.
It's also fair to say that, with Poyet at the club, these players should - in theory - be able to settle far more easily. They have two coaches who speak their language and will play in a side who should be playing a familiar system. Poyet's whole philosophy is designed around slowing the game down to a pace at which very technical players are comfortable.
Anyway, great to hear that a player is genuinely excited about joining the club and fingers crossed it gets done sooner rather than later.
