Blackpool's faint hopes of re-signing Elliot Embleton quashed as loan star signs long-term deal with Sunderland

Last season’s loan star has signed a long-term contract at Sunderland, where he will remain until 2025.

The Seasiders were keen to bring the 22-year-old back to Bloomfield Road on a permanent basis during the summer.

But the club were frustrated in their attempts and Embleton has since gone on to play a starring role in Sunderland’s bright start to the season.

“I’m buzzing to sign a new deal with the club,” Embleton said.

“It’s a very proud moment for me and my family and hopefully I can keep showing the supporters what I can do on the pitch.

“I’ve been here a long time, so signing this contract is special and now I’m really looking forward to pushing on.”

Embleton made a big impact at Bloomfield Road last season after joining Neil Critchley’s side during the January transfer window.

At the time of his move on deadline day, the Seasiders were 15th in the table, while his parent club were seventh and just one point off the top six.

But Embleton would go on to help Blackpool steamroll their way into a play-off spot, making 21 appearances between the start of February right up until the Wembley play-off final.

But the attacking-midfielder is now firmly part of Lee Johnson’s first-team plans and has enjoyed a strong season to date - even scoring his first goal for his boyhood club in a 2-1 win against MK Dons in August.

"It was a massive thing for me to play in a promotion side in this league," Embleton recently said in an interview with Sky Sports."The promotion helped with the confidence. And playing games, that's what helps to develop you.

“I had a good manager [at Blackpool] who helped develop me tactically and we had a good run of 16 games unbeaten, so everything was good there.

"Playing 20-plus games, playing every week for two months straight, winning games, getting assists and scoring a few goals here and there. It was a massive boost.

"Hopefully coming back into Sunderland now I can use that experience here. I've been here since I was six or seven. It's my club, I want to play here. It's my hometown and my family all support Sunderland. So to see me playing for their team is a big thing."

Speaking recently to The Gazette, Blackpool’s chief executive Ben Mansford concedes the club have moved on from their attempts to bring Embleton back.

He said: “I had a bit of dinner with Lee Johnson when they played Fleetwood the other day and he said ‘thank you’ and picked up the tab, so there’s not much we can do with Embo now.”

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