Sunderland Lunchtime Round-Up, Saturday 17th October 2026: Kevin Phillips Gives Verdict on Talbi Situation Ahead of Bournemouth Clash

Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has weighed in on the Chemsdine Talbi situation, suggesting "something's happened" with the winger (Sunderland Echo).

Looking ahead to this weekend's trip to face Bournemouth, Chris Sutton has made a claim about Sunderland's "great form" heading into the Premier League fixture (Sunderland Echo). The Sunderland Echo's Phil Smith has also been reflecting on the midweek action, sharing his key conclusions after watching Sunderland come from behind to beat Torreense with a stoppage-time winner on Thursday evening (Sunderland Echo).

There's praise too for goalkeeper Simon Moore, with a former teammate describing him as "the glue a dressing room needs" in glowing comments about the rarely-seen stopper (Sunderland Echo).

On the transfer front, BBC Sport reports that Sunderland are among the clubs said to be tracking Rangers' Olwethu Makhanya, with Brentford also credited with interest, in a round-up that also touched on Dinamo Bucharest's Danny Armstrong eyeing a Scotland call-up (BBC Sport).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.