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28/Jan/17
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It’s almost taken for granted that Sunderland will be struggling in the drop-zone of the Premier League at this time of year, with the Black Cats annual battle to avoid relegation now something of a tradition.
David Moyes replaced the England-bound Sam Allardyce late last summer, with relatively little time to bolster a squad that was lacking in both quality and depth.
With owner Ellis Short reluctant to spend, player recruitment was decidedly bargain basement by Premier League standards and Sunderland struggled woefully early on as a consequence, picking up just two points in their opening 10 games.
You would have got very short odds backing Sunderland for relegation with Marathonbet online sportsbook at that point. Results have improved since then (it was difficult for them not to), but they remain deep in trouble.
Their cause hasn’t been helped by a lengthy injury list, with Jordan Pickford, Lee Cattermole, Duncan Watmore, Jan Kirchhoff, Paddy McNair and Lynden Gooch being the current long-term absentees.
Just to add to David Moyes’s woes, his squad is further depleted by Africa Cup of Nations call-ups for Lamine Koné (Ivory Coast), Didier Ndong (Gabon) and Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia).
With Short looking to sell-up, the early indications were that there would be little to spend in the January transfer window. However, the squad is so lacking in numbers and the threat of relegation so damaging to the club’s valuation, that it now appears funds have been found to bring in a few new faces.
A year ago Sunderland’s season was transformed by the January signings of Wahbi Khazri (Bordeaux), Lamine Koné (Lorient) and Jan Kirchhoff (Bayern Munich) for combined fees of around £15 million and the indications are that Moyes will receive a similar budget to pull off another ‘great escape’.
Several names have been mentioned as potential targets:
Robbie Brady (Norwich City)
The Republic of Ireland international appears to have been on the wanted list of about half the clubs in the Premier League at some point in the last six-months or so and a move from Carrow Road now seems imminent.
With Sam Allardyce keen on taking Patrick van Aanholt to Selhurst Park, Brady could slot in at left-back.
Phil Jagielka (Everton)
Moyes has a habit of going back to his former clubs when it comes to player recruitment so, with Phil Jagielka having fallen out of favour in recent weeks at Goodison Park, it’s no great surprise to hear that a reunion could be on the cards.
Jagielka played for England as recently as November and could certainly do a job at the Stadium of Light, even at the age of 34.
The Toffees are said to be keen on Sunderland centre-back Koné, so a player + cash deal could be on the cards, although that’s complicated by the Ivory Coast player likely to be on Africa Cup of Nations duty for the remainder of the transfer window.
James McCarthy (Everton)
James McCarthy is another player who Moyes would know and trust, so the link is understandable. Again, the possibility of a deal involving Koné going in the opposite direction has been mooted, although current logistics would appear to rule that possibility out. A bid of around £15 million might persuade the Toffees to do business.
There has also been reported interest in Leonardo Ulloa (Leicester City), Andre Andre (Porto) and Ryad Boudebouz (Montpellier) among others.
The one certainty is that the Black Cats Premier League survival will be heavily reliant on the recruitment being far better than it was over the summer.