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Sunderland Announces Major Roster Move This Week

Originally posted on Sunderland on SI
By Oscar Daniel Cortes Rincon | Last updated Feb 1, 2026 1:28 PM ET

At an important moment of the season for Sunderland, the team continues hoping to maintain positive consistency to move into the best positions in the Premier League.

Currently in 11th place while waiting for their match of matchweek 24, the team has not had the best results in their recent games, and now, with the recent news of the departure of one of their legends, they hope to sustain the consistency needed to avoid drifting away from the top 8 of the league.

This news was a major impact for the team, after so long with one of their most important players who built his entire career wearing the colors of the Black Cats, it is time to take different paths.

Dan Neil Goes on Loan to Ipswich Town After Building His Entire Career with Sunderland

Sunderland have confirmed that Dan Neil will leave the team after having come through the youth divisions of the club. After his debut with the first team in the 21/22 season, he continued showing solid performances.

This led him to earn a starting role in that same season, where he played a total of 46 matches, accumulating more than 3000 minutes of play as indicated by Transfermarkt, statistics that, for a youth player, were extraordinary.

We can today confirm the departure of long-serving midfielder Dan Neil.

Neil has joined Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season, ending his 18-year association with Sunderland at the end of his contract in June.

He lived the dream, and we all wish him well in the next… pic.twitter.com/g9VL8gNaVg
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) January 27, 2026

In the current season, he was not having many minutes. Although he was of great help in the 24/25 season to achieve the long-awaited promotion to the Premier League, he was not able to play many minutes in the best league in Europe. Only 3 matches played, entering at the end of the games.

Now his path takes him to compete in the Championship, wearing the colors of Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the 25/26 season. At 24 years old, it is expected that Dan Neil will continue increasing his level and that injuries do not negatively affect his future.

A possible hopeful return of the midfielder to Sunderland would not be ruled out, but for the rest of the season, their paths will separate in search of new opportunities for both sides.

This article first appeared on Sunderland on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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