Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has now admitted that he would love to see Everton forward Ellis Simms return to the Stadium of Light this summer.
The 22-year-old spent the first half of last season on loan at the Black Cats, before unexpectedly being recalled to Goodison Park in January.
Indeed, Simms played his role in keeping Everton in the Premier League, but looked out of his depth at times, and Mowbray admits that Simms returning to Sunderland would ‘be huge’.
As reported by the Chronicle Live, Mowbray said: “Ellis Simms, if he comes back will be huge for this football club, because he gives us a focal point at the front end of the pitch.
He scored some massively important goals before he was recalled to Everton.”
Simms unlikely to be in Dyche’s Everton XI next season, leaving seems best for club and player
Simms scored 11 goals in 17 games during his brief stint on Wearside, but managed just one goal in 11 outings for Everton following his recall.
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It was a tremendously important goal for the Toffees, however, as the 22-year-old earned Everton a late point in the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge back in March.
However, the academy graduate played just 10 minutes of football during Everton’s last seven Premier League games, indicating that Sean Dyche may not have felt he was capable of being the club’s attacking focal point.
Indeed, this was despite the Blues being extremely short of striking options, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin playing just 17 Premier League games all season and was notably absent for the final game of the season against Bournemouth.
With just one year remaining on his current deal at the Blues, it would make sense for both player and club if Ellis Simms was moved on this summer, and Tony Mowbray’s comments indicate that Sunderland could still be interested in the Everton player.