Sunderland AFC are expected to strengthen central midfield this summer after social media reaction flared over suggestions that area would be left untouched. The club is still planning to add depth, with the bigger picture pointing to a squad refresh rather than a standstill.
The timing matters because Sunderland are shaping the 2026/2027 season now, and the need for cover in the middle of the pitch was laid bare when Granit Xhaka missed a handful of games through injury midway through the 2025/2026 season. In his absence, Sunderland's midfield looked listless, flat and lacking in dynamism, which is why the idea of leaving that area alone quickly gained traction online.
There is also a broader transfer plan behind it. Florent Ghisolfi and Tom Burwell have outlined an approach that could bring in seven or eight new players this summer, with one big-ticket sale also possible to help balance the recruitment. That is not a full rebuild for its own sake. It is a targeted attempt to improve where Sunderland need it most while keeping the core of the side intact.
That balance is where the story becomes less tidy than the headlines. Ghisolfi wants to keep Sunderland's current squad together and said he wants to keep every starter, but he also said he is never afraid to sell a player if the right offer comes. He has made the same point before at Lens, where he sold Loic Bade after bringing him in for free and later replaced him with Kevin Danso. He used that example to argue Sunderland are financially sound, confident in their ability to replace players well and better placed than critics may assume to absorb change without losing control.
The rumours of a move for Képhren Thuram were stopped before they progressed, but the unanswered question now is not whether Sunderland will act in midfield. It is which central midfield players they will actually target, and how much of the squad they will leave untouched while trying to add quality rather than quantity. Harrison Jones is expected to move on, Milan Aleksić is expected to depart for Partizan Belgrade, and the final shape of the window may depend on whether Sunderland decide one sale is enough or whether the summer turns into something larger than the club first intended.
Ghisolfi's message is clear enough. Sunderland want stability, but they are not promising immobility, and they have already seen how quickly a weakness in midfield can show itself when one key player disappears. The next move will tell readers whether the club's summer is really about fine-tuning around the edges, or whether the middle of the pitch gets a more decisive overhaul than some fans feared.
