Could further defensive arrivals spell the end for Bailey Wright?

Anthony Gair says…

Wright has served his time well here and he’ll always be held in the highest regard for being a shining star in one of the worst sides we’ll ever see in our lifetime.

Personally, I think he’s a consummate professional and one of the best defenders we’ve had in the last ten years, but football moves on.

We have a young side now- fast, dynamic and malleable.

That’s no disrespect to Wright, who’ll always be an asset at our level, but if we’re to move on and challenge for the playoffs, we need to start signing players who have the potential to cut it in the Premier League.

I’m not saying that Anderson is the perfect replacement for Wright, but he can certainly cut it in the Championship.

I hope Wright doesn’t leave as he’s obviously a positive influence on our young defence, but he’ll want to end his career actually playing football and I don’t think he’ll do that here.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

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Kingsley Reavley says…

I recall a conversation with a friend around the start of last season regarding Wright.

The long and short of it was, ‘let’s hope that’s his final game’ following a mistake that cost us points. Sadly, it seemed to have become a recurring theme with him.

Fast forward to the end of the season, however, and he’d become a mainstay in a solid backline that lead us to victory over Wycombe at Wembley.

That remarkable turnaround epitomises the type of player he is: resilient, level-headed and just an all-round excellent professional. In other words, the type of character you want in an incredibly young dressing room.

Sadly the reality is with the potential signing of Anderson, Wright will be fifth or sixth-choice and at this level, he lacks the pace to be able to cover at full-back.

Aged thirty and still around the Australian national team, there’s no doubt that he’ll want to play regularly but barring a myriad of injuries, that seems unlikely to happen at Sunderland.

It’s through no fault of his own but the club is now moving in a different direction with a huge emphasis on developing youth.

Wright is one of the few players to have got what the club is all about in recent years. Both on and off the pitch, he’s led by example and has been a positive representative of Sunderland.

If he does go, it’ll be with everyone’s best wishes for a good servant who’s racked up nearly one hundred games in red and white and who played a significant role in our promotion from League One.

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Malc Dugdale says…

Anderson is another example of what’s becoming a typical Sunderland signing: a young prospect who’s not yet established, but whose ‘football data’ is exactly what we need. He’s also a left-footer with multi-positional capability.

In my opinion, it’s almost a certainty this will spell the end for Wright. He wasn’t part of our side at Fulham and he’s been linked with clubs north of the border.

If he leaves, the emotions would be mixed for me.

Our model now is to buy young, developing players and move them on, either for a profit or to upgrade in certain positions, and that’s what’s happening here.

At times, Wright was great in League One and has been a cracking bloke to have in the dressing room. However, he’s thirty years old now and is well down the pecking order, so it’s best for both sides that we part ways.

I’d wish him the best of luck wherever he goes, because he’s grafted hard for the team and has given his best, regardless of what was thrown at him.

Hopefully he can find a new club as he’s a lovely bloke and will still give his all for a few seasons yet.

Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images

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