Preston North End transfer boost as Sunderland ‘unlikely’ to sign £3m defender
Preston North End have received a boost after it was reported that it would be ‘unlikely’ that Sunderland would sign one of their reported January transfer targets.
Hammarby centre-back Nathaniel Adjei is a reported target for Ryan Lowe, however there has been interest from two other Championship sides, and clubs in Scotland. Adjei, who has burst on to the scene in Sweden, is quickly emerging as one of Europe’s highly-rated young defenders.
Sister website the Sunderland Echo report that Adjei is ‘unlikely’ to be a transfer priority when the window opens in just over a months time. The Wearside club signed Jenson Seelt and Nectrarios Triantis in the summer, whilst Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard have both signed new contracts which makes a move for another central defender unlikely at this stage. Sunderland instead will focus on signing either a holding midfielder or look to recruit players in the wide area, rather than in central defence.
North End must now get past the interest of other reported clubs. Middlesbrough are said to be keen, meanwhile Scottish Premiership giants Celtic and Rangers are also said to hold an interest. Swedish outlet Fotbolldirekt also reported that Leeds United are tracking the defender.
It was reported by the Scottish press that Rangers have been scouting him in-person meanwhile the Scottish champions Celtic just hold an interest at this stage. A transfer report from the Sun said that PNE, along with Middlesbrough and Sunderland had been interested in pursuing a loan move, and that it would cost £3m to sign him permanently.
Adjei is under contract at Hammarby until the summer of 2026, and is now on a break after the Swedish football season has ended. with Hammarby finishing in seventh in the Allsvenskan. Adjei played 21 times in the league, and was part of a defence that kept six clean sheets. Sweden’s football season usually does not start until April, and so there is plenty of time for a deal to be constructed.
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It was first reported earlier this month that Preston were interested in the Ghanaian. Journalist Alan Nixon said that they were: “in talks,” with Adjei’s current club, Hammarby IF, alongside Scottish football’s two biggest clubs: Celtic and Rangers.
The Sun also believe that the Black Cats, and fellow northeastern club Middlesbrough, were interested in the centre back.
A report from the Sunderland Echo suggested that there are multiple factors that are making the club less interested in signing Adjei.
n the summer, central defenders Jenson Seelt and Nectarios Triantis were brought to Wearside on permanent deals. beIN Sports reported that the latter was brought in for £265,000, and the Daily Mail said that a £1.7 million package had been agreed to sign the former.
The Sun’s report linking Sunderland and Middlesbrough to the Ghanaian defender suggested that a fee of £3 million would be the price point that the Swedish club would accept for their defender.
Considering that they’ve already brought in two 20-year-old central defenders this season, for a potential combined fee of over £2 million, including add-ons, and the fact that their premier defensive partnership, Luke O’Nien and Daniel Ballard, have both recently extended their contracts with the club, spending another £3 million on this position looks unlikely.
Adjei played in 21 games for Hammerby last season, which ended just under two weeks ago. His team kept a clean sheet in five of those matches. He recorded 4.3 ball recoveries per game, 2.7 clearances per game, and was only dribbled past once every five games on average, as per Sofascore.
So the signing of Adjei should improve Lowe’s team defensively, but he could also help them transition into a different style of team. He played under new QPR manager Marti Cifuentes before he made the move to the London-based team. His style of play involved a lot of controlling the ball, and it requires the defenders to be confident on the ball, which Adjei is.
Currently, according to The Analyst, Preston are one of the fastest and most direct teams in attack. They play about 2.55 passes per sequence, as opposed to a team like Leicester City or Southampton who control games more and average closer to 5 passes per sequence.
Bringing in a defender like Adjei could help Preston, and the manager, play a more controlling brand of football; one that helps them be more consistently near the top of the table. Unfortunately, those types of players, at that age, come at a price.
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