With a sixth Football League championship confirmed, 1936 should have been a time of pure joy at Sunderland AFC, but the Lads’ title win will always be marked by a massive sense of sadness due to the tragic loss of popular team member Jimmy Thorpe just weeks before the trophy was handed over.

Saturday's match at the Emirates Stadium will be broadcast on streaming service Peacock. To stream the game live, you'll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus subscription. Peacock offers two Premium plans, and after recent price increases, the ad-supported Premium plan costs $11 a month and the ad-free Premium Plus plan costs $17 a month.

The Sunderland Echo revealed Sunderland's strong interest in the transfer market last summer. As newly promoted clubs, they made an ambitious investment that eventually materialized, but they failed to sign Yacine Titraoui.

Sunderland were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in their latest Premier League fixture

Hjelde’s comeback has been measured. He returned on November 20 with 45 minutes for Sunderland’s Under 21s against Sporting in the Premier League International Cup. Despite that milestone, the defender is yet to make a first team appearance this term, prompting a search for competitive minutes that suits both player and parent club.

At only 24 years of age, Simon Adingra is a new signing for AS Monaco arriving on a loan basis, a loss for Sunderland of a player who had important, but not decisive minutes with the Black Cats.

Sunderland produced a decent display against Arsenal but the hosts in the end proved too strong

From Omlin’s point of view, the choice is stark. Stay in Germany with limited playing time, or accept reduced terms in exchange for a chance to reset his career as a regular starter. Sunderland can offer the latter, along with the appeal of English football and a club pushing hard for promotion.