Why coach committing himself is good news for Sunderland; and three other talking points today

Advocaat wants to continue in Turkey - good news for Sunderland?

Dick Advocaat joined Fenerbahçe in August 2016 as Technical Director and initially only committed himself to a twelve month stint at the Turkish club.

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His spell at the Istanbul outfit is going okay. Fenerbahçe sit fourth in the Süper Lig though they have hit a patch of rocky form lately - winning just one of their last four games.

Now, according to reports in Turkey, Advocaat is set to commit himself to his Instanbul project beyond the end of this season. And that may be good news for Sunderland.

One of the reasons Fenerbahçe would only commit to hiring outcast winger, Jeremain Lens, on a season-long loan deal rather than a permanent transfer last summer, was the insecurity posed by his mentor Advocaat only being sure of staying in Turkey for a year.

If the veteran coach does commit himself to Fenerbahçe beyond the end of the season, it likely ensures Jeremain Lens will be keen to stay on there. The Dutch winger has been a mainstay of Advocaat sides for many years - at Sunderland, PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar before this current stint.

One thing is certain, there's likely no way back for Lens at Sunderland after he incurred the wrath of the club for appearing to suggest on Turkish TV that relegation for his parent club would make his life easier.

Lens' deal at Sunderland contains a clause which means he can leave for a reduced fee should the club be relegated - an exit which would be worth roughly half of the £13m originally paid for him by Dick Advocaat himself in the summer of 2015.

If we stay up, and Jeremain is desperate to stay with Dick and vice-versa, a decent fee for the Dutchman may yet be forthcoming from Turkey.

When Jason Denayer said he was faster than Gareth Bale

Last summer, Jason Denayer was in the Belgium squad for Euro 2016. You may recall that Wales came up against the Belgians in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

The defender who had just turned 21 ten days before the match, previewed the encounter by boasting he was faster than Gareth Bale in a straight-line sprint.

Denayer said of the most expensive footballer on the planet:

I've been two times against Bale. Last year in Wales and in a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid. Let's say we were neck-and-neck in a sprint.

Modest as ever, Jason Denayer has never been one to play down his abilities. After his season-long loan at Celtic two years ago he claimed he found the Scottish Premier League "too easy".

He was certainly rapid when connecting with that Ryan Bertrand cross last Saturday. The Belgian ,who is on loan from Manchester City this season, slid like he was on the ice rink in Central Park as he turned the ball into his own net. Relive the horror:

Ligue 1 Star 'on Sunderland Radar'

Wylan Cyprien is making headlines across the Channel and has been linked with a summer move to Sunderland today. At 22-years-old, the creative midfielder is gathering a host of admirers thanks to his six goals and three assists for Ligue 1 outfit Nice.

The source of this tantalising piece of post-window transfer gossip? This article in SportsMediaSet, comprising exactly seventeen words - which are as follows:

Sunderland has set its sights Wylan Cyprien midfielder Nice until now the protagonist of an important season.

Looks pretty bona fide eh?

Stuff on at the SoL

Stuck for stuff to do with the kids this half-term? I know I am. Why not head down to the Stadium of Light on Monday as the doors will be thrown open to supporters to watch the first team train.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

In addition to Moyes and his men being put through their paces, there will also be a spot of entertainment in and around the stadium including face-painting and footy-themed stuff.

Entry is free but under-12's must be accompanied by an adult. Entrance is via the West Stand, next to the club store.

Or, if you fancy a fix of footy this week and didn't have a stomach full last Saturday, you can watch the Under-23s in action tomorrow night as they take on Spanish club, Athletic Club Bilbao B, in the quarter-finals of the Premier League International Cup.

New manager Elliot Dickman will be keen to impress having taken over from Andy Welsh just recently and the Spanish club are expecting to travel with a strong team for the clash. The winners will face Swansea City or Hertha Berlin.

Entry is just £3 for adults and a quid for kids. You can gain entry through the West Stand from 6pm.