Is He Really Worth £7m?

This season will be a big season for all concerned, and so far the signings made appear good even if most have not heard of them. However the most important signing he needs to get right is the centre half.

As the news of a bid broke for Matthew Upson, straight away I was hoping and thinking this must be wrong. Sunderland do need at least one good centre half but unfortunately Upson does not fit the bill in my eyes. At 31 he also will demand high wages and after a 3 or 4 year contract will have little or no ressale value. Also the amount of money we have already given West Ham for defenders is obscene.

At the club we currently have Turner, Da Silva, Kilgallon and Ferdinand (who may not be here much longer) and when you look at that list he could be considered better than all of them. However after watching both Da Silva and Upson at the World Cup, Da Silva looks a better option.

After watching last season it appears Steve Bruce sees Michael Turner as one of his centre halfs. In my opinion playing him and Upson together would give us a very slow centre half pairing which in the Premier League would lead to disaster.

For £7 million Bruce could and probably should be able to buy a younger and quicker centre half. I reckon Nedum Onouha and John Mensah shuld be the players as both have a good turn of foot. Also Onouha can cover the right back position if needed. We know what Mensah brings and given the medical staff know his problems I believe we will get more games out of him than last season.