Roker Roundup: Juan Sartori ‘ending several business interests’ - does that include Sunderland?

Sartori on new career

Juan Sartori officially announced his candidacy for Uruguayan presidency on Tuesday night, at a packed Metro Theatre in Montevideo.

The Sunderland board member - who bought 20% of the club from Stewart Donald back in the summer - has been giving interviews to the media to follow up on his announcement, and he made a statement which poses questions around his involvement in the club.

Speaking to Teledoce, Sartori was asked about his businesses and conflicts of interest due to his new political career and he announced that he is leaving all company interests behind, as well selling several other companies:

I am leaving all my companies, leaving the directories, quoting on the stock exchange and selling several companies.

You have to make politics without conflicts of interest: the best way is to do one thing or another.

The campaign will finance it by contributing what I can, according to the legal framework that is in force. In addition to raising among the people, who not only contribute with resources but with ideas.

Sartori expanded on that by revealing that he will be moving to Uruguay permanently with his family, now he has entered politics and left his entrepreneurial life behind:

I would accept to do anything useful to my country, as a legislator, of course. My life as an entrepreneur I decided to leave it behind and now I will start working for others.

I think I lead a very normal life. My lifestyle is very normal. I was criticized for going to see football matches, but I love to go see or play football over the weekend. I start working early in the morning and finish late at night. The only thing that changed me was having children, which made me spend more time at home with them.

I have always taken the decisions with enthusiasm and knowing the sacrifices they imply. Nothing ever fell from the sky. Nothing happened to me thanks to me, it was always together with a group of people and with a tour.

My wife is happy to live in Uruguay. She always told me that she wanted to stay and live in one place. She loves Uruguay. Her passion is horses. She loves it calm and there are a lot of fields.

We live normally and being careful.

Although Sunderland were not mentioned by name by Sartori while he was doing the media rounds, you have to wonder what his comments and admission that he’ll be living in Uruguay could mean for our club.

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Embleton happy to remain with Grimsby

Elliot Embleton has had a successful loan stint in League Two with Grimsby Town, with the Sunderland youngster receiving plenty of praise for his displays for the Mariners.

His loan is due to expire in less than a month but Grimsby manager Michael Jolley is still hoping to extend Embleton’s - and Shrewsbury’s Luke Hendrie’s - loan deals until the end of the season:

We’re in the same position at the moment, which is we’re waiting to see what the plan is for both of those players.

I think in both cases, the clubs know where we stand, and we know where they stand. It’s a case of trying to see how things develop between now and January.

According to the Grimsby Telegraph, Embleton is happy to remain at Blundell Park and Jack Ross said back in November that the decision will lie with the player himself, with the Sunderland manager hoping to get a more experienced Embleton into his squad:

We’ll sit with him and agree what’s best. I wouldn’t bring him back if he’s not going to get game time here, because that’s to the detriment of him in general and also, selfishly for me, I want an Elliot Embleton in my squad who has maybe played 40 first team games, because then he’s better equipped to deal with it.

We’ve not made a decision either way, if he did continue to play elsewhere for the rest of the season I don’t think it would be a bad thing.

Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images

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Ejaria’s Rangers stint over?

Ovie Ejaria’s loan spell with Sunderland did not go to plan for the youngster, due to the club getting relegated and the player having difficulties imposing himself on a struggling side.

Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, his loan stint with Rangers appears to be heading in a similar direction.

Sky Sports News have reported that Ejaria headed back to Liverpool this week and although Steven Gerrard expects him to return to Glasgow before the weekend, the Rangers manager admitted the player was unsettled:

Ovie is slightly unsettled at the moment, I spoke to him a couple of days ago.

We decided it was best to leave him at home and the plan is to talk to Ovie on Friday to see where he’s at.

The Daily Record report that Ejaria has grown disillusioned with the ‘rough and tumble’ of the Scottish game and has left Gerrard keen to talk the player into seeing out the season at Ibrox.

Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images

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DMK signs for Sparta Prague

Former Sunderland winger David Moberg Karlsson has completed his move to Sparta Prague.

The 24-year-old is coming off the back of a successful season with Swedish side Norrkoping, in which he scored 13 goals and provided seven assists as his side were pipped to the title by Seb Larsson’s AIK on the last day of the season.

The Swedish international has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Czech side.