Just Good Business: The Sensible Geertruida vs Meunier Decision

Following Lutsharel Geertruida’s farewell post on Instagram earlier in the week, fans now have closure on this early window saga or whether or not the well-liked Dutchman would stay on Wearside following the expiration of his loan deal from RB Leipzig.

To caveat, I’m a big fan of Lutsha, and this article is in no way aimed as a hit piece against the bloke. It’s simply highlighting the pros and cons of how the club need to carry out their business this summer.

The Playing Squad

Lutsharel Geertruida only played a fringe role in the squad, and with RLB and co looking to strengthen the squad ahead of a second-ever European campaign, we need to be smart with who we sign, why we’re signing them and how much we’re signing them for.

Lutsharel Geertruida made 28 appearances in the Premier League last season (with an average FotMob rating of 6.73) but only racked up 1,685 minutes in the process, ranking him as the third-lowest played defender last season (with Luke O’Nien and Dennis Cirkin managing less). Compared to other defenders Nordi Mukiele (32 appearances and 2,787 minutes) and Omar Alderete (33 appearances and 2,802 minutes), it shows quite clearly where his place in the squad was, with Le Bris utilising him sparingly and prioritising other options.

On the other hand, Thomas Meunier made 25 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille last season, racking up 1,910 minutes and getting a spot in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season (with an average FotMob rating of 7.11). With Meunier also reaching the latter stages of his career, he is more likely to be comfortable with a more rotational role. He has come to Wearside off the back of a successful season in France and a positive showing over in the States at the 2026 World Cup.

With reports of Régis Le Bris looking to bring in an out-and-out right winger, this also frees up Trai Hume to return to his natural position regularly and with Nordi Mukiele as cover at right-back also. It would be extremely frustrating for both Geertruida and Sunderland fans to see him not featuring as often as his ability and attitude deserve.

The Finances

The biggest win for this decision is the financial aspect.

As we embark on a new European adventure, we need to be extremely careful of how we spend to ensure we don’t fall into the traps that have befallen our noisy neighbours and their recent fine and the likes of Aston Villa, who are having to sell big in Morgan Rogers to appease the heavily regulated UEFA SCR rules.

I’ve covered SCR and its impact in a previous article (link), so I won’t go into too much detail again. Simply put, Sunderland has to abide by stricter rules than most other Premier League clubs, as UEFA’s cap for SCR is 70% while the Premier League’s is 85%.

Therefore, spending a reported £20m fee on a squad player is simply not smart business. If Geertruida signed for that reported figure and signed a 4-year contract. Sunderland would have to amortise this fee as £5m per season for the next four seasons. Then add the wages to this. Geertruida has a reported wage at RB Leipzig of around €91,000 (£78,000) per week and would arguably want to increase further on this if he were to sign with Sunderland and have Premier League and Europa League money available.

Hypothetically, Geertruida would use up around £9m of SCR headspace per season if he signed for the reported transfer fee, kept his reported wages and stayed for the 4 years. With the total commitment coming to around £36m

Thomas Meunier arrived on a free transfer, using his reported £ 75,000-per-week wages from his last Lille contract. Meunier would cost the club around £4m per season, with a total commitment of around £8m over his two-year deal. As Meunier is 34 years of age, the likelihood that his wages will be lower than under his previous contract at Lille is also relatively high, and therefore further reduces this cost.

Summary

Simply put, it’s the right call to acquire Thomas Meunier’s services over Lutsharel Geertruida’s.

While Lutsharel Geertruida performed admirably during his spell on Wearside and was widely respected and well-liked by his teammates, staff, and fans alike, passing on the permanent signing option in his loan deal makes complete financial and strategic sense for Sunderland.

These substantial savings can now be directly deployed to strengthen multiple other key areas across the squad, building the depth required for competing both domestically and in European competition. The ~£28m saved in total commitment gives Régis Le Bris and the Sunderland hierarchy crucial headroom under UEFA’s 70% cost control rules and allows for the club to target higher priority areas in the squad (such as RW).

Whilst it may upset fans that Geertruida couldn’t be kept, I, for one, have full faith that these hard calls are being handled extremely well by Ghisolfi and Louis-Dreyfus to ensure Sunderland continues to run as an efficient, profitable and sustainable football club. This short-term pain and operating within our means can work in our favour, as we’re far less likely to be forced to sell players to “stay afloat” in this world of financial regulations.