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Hemir was given an incredible opportunity to add more gloss to the scoreline and start his competitive career for the Lads towards the end of Sunderland’s best performance and our most enjoyable day of the 2023/2024 season—the 5-0 home hammering of Southampton in the heady days of last summer.
Once again, the Saints defense caught them off guard, and the young striker found himself clean through. He was certain to make it 6-0, but he froze at the last second, and his shot was blocked.
Still, no one seemed to be very concerned about it at the time.
Everyone appeared thrilled, we had won the game handily, and Hemir, like many of his teammates, would undoubtedly keep getting better after joining from Benfica in the summer. As we were leaving the stadium, a fellow supporter remarked to me, “All he needs is one goal and he’ll be off and away.”
Sadly, things haven’t quite turned out that way.
Hemir’s future seems to be a hot topic of discussion as we get ready for the final push to the finish line and say goodbye to a season that nobody will really remember with any fondness. Many fans are eager to either loan him out or cut him loose entirely, which would definitely be a bridge too far, even after such a disappointing season.
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The debate has been heated as usual, with little to no room for compromise.
But as is so often the case, there is a middle ground, and it is quite easy to understand that Hemir has frequently been a victim of the turmoil that has overtaken the first team since Tony Mowbray’s departure while still acknowledging the low caliber of performances that he has frequently delivered in.
For what it’s worth, I thought Mowbray frequently didn’t do Hemir any favors, especially when he threw him on against Leicester City, which seemed to be more of a pointless gesture directed at Kristjaan Speakman than a chance for the striker to show off. Since then, things haven’t really gotten any better.
He was largely sidelined for a while as Michael Beale and later Mike Dodds continued to play the equally ineffective Mason Burstow and the aggressive but frequently unthreatening Nazariy Rusyn. Nevertheless, he has been gradually brought back into the fold, if unsuccessfully, as the striker selection process has become increasingly muddled.
What is really preventing Hemir from moving forward?
Self-assurance? An absence of use? Dissatisfaction in his present surroundings? As much as we want the squad to succeed, the club has a duty of care towards the players, regardless of how much criticism they might face. The only people who know for sure are the player, his teammates, and coaches.
Though this will depend on whether we truly handle the striker position and bring in the kind of forwards that everyone seems to agree we need, I personally fully anticipate him to be loaned out during the summer.
Given how much the club has believed in his potential since his arrival, I would be shocked if any attempts were made to try to sell him. But at this point, it’s hard to imagine his growth being accelerated in the Stadium of Light—at least not to the extent we’d need it for 2024–2025—unless a top coach is willing to put in the necessary work.
It’s a 50/50 chance if Hemir is sent to a lower league or overseas club for 2024–2025, so I’m always wary of the idea of loaning players out on the grounds that “they need to be toughened up” and so on (a spin-off of the Roy Keane “he’ll put a rocket up them” theory).
Fans may find it exciting to kick the can down the road, but sometimes the simple route isn’t the best one, so I sincerely hope the team considers all of its options carefully before deciding on its best course of action.
Hemir is our player, and no matter how we feel about him, he shouldn’t be treated poorly or shuffled out the door without a solid strategy in place. This season, our strategy of having faith in youngsters has already taken a beating; messing up this particular dilemma would be far worse.
Yes, he has had difficulty this season, but nobody should celebrate that. His career must come first no matter what happens next. The least he deserves is that.
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