Khazri, Djilobodji loans positive for club

Simon Grayson admits sometimes it can be just as positive to move players out who don’t want to be at a club as it is to make new signings.

The Sunderland boss says there were a number of players who no longer wanted to be at the club, with Wahbi Khazri and Papy Djilobodji leaving on deadline day loan deals.

Khazri joined Rennes while Djilobodji signed for Ligue 1 side Dijon.

Earlier in the summer Jeremain Lens moved to Besiktas with Fabio Borini joining AC Milan on loan.

When asked why certain players had been loaned out rather than sold this summer, Grayson explained: “You have to have takers for them in the first place.

“The money our players are earning and the transfer fees were maybe too high for certain clubs.

“I did stress from day one if they didn’t want to be here then we would let them go on loan or permanent and that did prove to be the case.

“Sometimes that can be more positive than some of the players you bring in because no disrespect to Papy or Wahbi - they made it quite clear they didn’t want to be here - Lens did and Borini and others.

“The good thing the club did is listen to players and ultimately what I have had to say and bring in players that want to be here.

“Some of these deals are loans with a view to a permanent deal, some are deals just to get players off the books to give me their wages to bring in the ones that we did.

“It is part and parcel of wheeling and dealing. Do you always get your transfer fees back? Not too often.”