Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray hasn’t given up hope of being able to re-sign Ellis Simms from Everton before Tuesday’s deadline.
The Blues made the decision to recall Simms from his successful loan spell at Sunderland last month as then boss Frank Lampard looked to boost his team’s firepower. During his time at the Stadium of Light, the forward scored seven times in 14 starts in the Championship.
Simms had helped fire Mowbray’s side into the play-off places at the time of his departure. The forward had previously enjoyed loan spells at Blackpool in League One and Heart of Midlothian in Scotland.
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The 21-year-old officially returned to the Blues on January 1, and he came off the bench for the final seven minutes of Everton’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion two days later. Since then, Simms has managed just another eight minutes of action for Everton.
Sunderland have been monitoring Simms’ situation all month since his recall, and speaking after his side’s 1-1 FA Cup draw with Fulham on Saturday afternoon, Mowbray admitted the return of the 22-year-old would be a 'huge' boost for his side.
He 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. There’s a few days to go. I’m assuming Sean (Dyche) is now in with his feet under the desk.
“Whether they make a quick decision on Ellis Simms, I don’t know. Whether they bring another striker in and Ellis is allowed to come back, it would be pretty appropriate for our team to give us a focal point and score goals."
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