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Hi Ollie! So, what can Sunderland fans expect in the form of Sebastian Coates then?
Sebastian Coates is a young, raw talent who at the right club and under the right management can turn out to be a very good player. He has all the credentials to be a top quality defender, but he needs the right management to flourish.
He is very good technically with his feet, and his distribution from the back is impressive, but he is still a raw talent. He won the player of the tournament at the 2011 Copa America - which shows his class - which eventually led to us signing him in the following transfer window. He isn't the most vocal, and has often been caught out of position, but should be a superb signing if his talent is managed correctly.
Would you say Seb is good enough to play regularly ahead of our other current options? John O’Shea and Wes Brown have been pretty immovable at the heart of our defence.
In terms of experience no he isn't, but he could really benefit from both those two. It will be difficult for him to dislodge both, as they are the spine of your team.
Coates can offer something different in terms of his distribution and composure. He's tall, so give you options from corners too. We've all seen his goal against QPR!
Do you believe that a loan move to Sunderland is good for Coates? He wasn’t getting much game time under Brendan Rogers.
For me, going on loan to a Premier League club is crucial for Seb's development, similar to Andre Wisdom's loan move to West Brom. I think you have a great manager in Gus Poyet, and I think he could really benefit under his guidance. We have seen something similar in Borini.
Sunderland are a well ran club, so this loan should be mutually beneficial for both parties.
We’ve read that he had a thoroughly decent pre-season – can you shed any light onto how he performed? Do you think he should have been given a chance following on from those performances?
Yes, Coates had a very good pre-season in the States. He looked a refreshed player after his injury problems from last season and impressed a lot of Liverpool supporters. As I alluded to before he's still raw - only twenty-three years old - and a season playing regular Premier League football is exactly what he needs.
I still feel he has a future at Liverpool as I imagine he'd be up for sale if he wasn't in the bosses future plans.
Finally, what positives do you think that they player will bring to our cause?
He will bring some composure at the back whilst offering good distribution. He's tall, which is always a bonus at both ends of the pitch - overall, you're signing a promising talent with lots of potential to be very good. Gus Poyet is certainly the right type of manager to maximise that potential and I think he'll do very well at Sunderland.
It's important to remember that Coates has just been to a big tournament - something that I feel will have furthered him - and he'll benefit from playing alongside the likes of Brown and O'Shea. I'm hoping he'll return to Anfield a much better player, ready for our first team.
