'Wasn't surprised' - Tony Mowbray appears to aim dig at Sunderland strategy

Tony Mowbray appeared to aim a dig at Sunderland by saying he was ‘not surprised’ that they sold Alex Pritchard.

Pritchard signed Pritchard for Birmingham City on deadline day, paying Sunderland a nominal fee for his services after the midfielder refused to play for the Black Cats.

That deal, along with the arrivals of Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle and Callum Styles meant Sunderland’s already young squad got even younger at a time when fans and pundits were calling on them to add experience.

For that reason, there was some surprise within football that Sunderland were letting one of their most experienced players leave.

Mowbray, though, said it came as no shock at all to him, further hinting at frustration at the way Sunderland operate in the transfer market.

“I’m not surprised,” Mowbray said. “I was the head coach there for 15 months so I’m not surprised that he was allowed to leave.

“I’m happy to bring him on board having worked closely with him. I know he can bring an X-Factor in certain games that can win a football match.”

Mowbray cut an increasingly frustrated figure during his final few months at Sunderland as he appeared to tire of the transfer policy that required him to work with young players.

He often used press conferences to suggest things weren’t especially amicable behind the scenes between him and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, and his comments on the Pritchard situation seem to back that up again.

"It's not really my decision,” Mowbray said after his final match in charge, a 1-1 draw at Millwall. “The club wants to develop young players and for them to be given an opportunity. That's what I do, I give them a chance.

“My gut inside me [in the game] tells me that we need to change, because I want to win. That's the truth, I'm trying to develop young players to create value in them, give them good careers.

“Sometimes they're not quite ready but that's OK, they'll get game time, they'll get on the pitch to experience the Championship. I signed up for that, I bought into it. Here I am doing it, picking them, playing them.

“I hope the line between winning and developing can be found of course,” he added, “but it’s going to be a slightly longer journey than people might have hoped at this football club because of the inexperience of some of the footballers that we’ve got.” 

READ MORE SUNDERLAND NEWS

• Sunderland contract situation: Who is nearing the end of their current deal?
• Top Ten: Sunderland's best ever January signings
• Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham names two former Sunderland players as his heroes
• Jordan Willis and seven other Sunderland careers ruined by injury
• Sell to thrive, not sell to survive: The Sunderland 'model' explained - in their own words
• Luke O'Nien and eight other Sunderland players who successfully changed positions