Sunderland have allowed Pascal Chimbonda to travel to London to undergo a medical with his old club Tottenham Hotspur.

The 29-year-old Frenchman, who made the move from White Hart Lane to the Stadium of Light only in July last year, headed south after the two clubs agreed a fee on Sunday.

Black Cats boss Ricky Sbragia confirmed Chimbonda is poised to leave Wearside, after failing to settle in the north-east.
He said: 'Since he came to the club, he has struggled to settle into the club.

'We had the opportunity of maybe making things a little bit happier for him.

'He's down in London; he is having a medical down there. But if it doesn't work out, we will be
pleased to see him back.

'He's a good player. He played extremely well on Saturday, and we knew they [Spurs] had a scout there.

'He's a good player but he just had issues with himself and he has struggled, really from day one, to get things going at the club.

'It was an opportunity for him and for the club, and we will wait and see what happens.'

Sbragia declined to reveal the fee, but it is understood the club would recoup what they paid Spurs for Chimbonda - thought to be in the region of £3million - should the deal go through.

The former Wigan Athletic full-back's proposed move is not the only one to have been mooted between the two clubs, with Sunderland so far resisting the Londoners' approaches for striker Kenwyne Jones.

Reports at the weekend suggested they had offered Darren Bent, a target for former boss Roy Keane during the summer, and £6million - he cost that amount when he left Southampton for Wearside in August 2007 - for the 24-year-old.

Sbragia and chairman Niall Quinn held talks with Jones last week to discuss Spurs' dogged pursuit, and were encouraged by what they heard.

The manager said: 'We had a chat with him on Friday, and he seems happy. He is from Trinidad and he is a bit cool, a bit chilled-out.

'He seems okay. Nothing's a problem. He wants to stay at Sunderland Football Club, which is great news for us.

'There is a lot going on; there is a lot of pressure on him; there is a lot of pressure on the club.

'But in general, he is an important member of the team. We would like to build the team around him and we would like him to stay here - and he has indicated he would like to stay here.

'I think Kenwyne will be a Sunderland player. I think he will be here after the (transfer window) deadline.'

RTE