Sunderland's highly-rated youth star, Ben Middlemas, is set to leave the club this month, with Ian Holloway's Swindon Town closing in on a deal. The League Two promotion hopefuls are pushing for a return to League One under Holloway, and Middlemas is expected to become their first permanent signing of the January window. Despite limited senior minutes, his Under-21 output has been impressive, recording two goals and seven assists in 21 appearances this season. However, the departure of Middlemas marks a significant loss for Sunderland, who have been relying on their youth development. Meanwhile, Régis Le Bris has sought to ease fears surrounding Brian Brobbey's fitness while confirming that Bertrand Traoré is a concern ahead of Crystal Palace's trip to the Stadium of Light next weekend. Sunderland will also be without Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi for the visit of Crystal Palace, after both Senegal and Morocco reached the AFCON semi-finals. The pair are set to feature either in the third-place play-off next Saturday or the final next Sunday, depending on results in the last four. This leaves Sunderland with a challenging task of balancing their promotion push with the need to develop their youth talent. The club's future looks uncertain, with the departure of Middlemas and the potential absence of Traoré and other key players. But here's where it gets controversial... Is Sunderland's focus on youth development sustainable in the face of increasing competition from clubs with deeper pockets? And this is the part most people miss... The club's ability to retain their top youth talent will be crucial to their long-term success.
