Which areas do Sunderland need to strengthen in the January transfer window?

Yesterday at 01:00 AM

With promotion certainly achievable this season, where do we need to add greater depth in order to maintain our challenge for the remainder of the campaign?

Anthony Gair says...

The most important position we need to strengthen this January is in attack, but not because of Wilson Isidor, as he's been vital for us, scoring important goals when it matters most.

However, what we're lacking is a spread of contributions from the rest of the team. At times, it feels like Isidor is carrying too much of the burden, and that's something we need to address if we're serious about promotion.

Adding another goalscorer or a versatile attacking player who can chip in consistently would help us turn tight games into comfortable wins.

While our build-up play and possession have been strong, too often we struggle to convert dominance into a decisive lead, and without more players stepping up in the final third, we risk leaving games in the balance, which can be dangerous in a league as competitive as the Championship.

Strengthening the attack isn't just about taking pressure off Isidor- it's about giving Régis Le Bris more options and flexibility.

A player who can score from midfield or operate alongside Isidor would add variety to our play and make us more unpredictable for opponents. It would also ensure that if injuries or fatigue hit, we're not left struggling to find goals.

Our defensive foundation is solid, but promotion will hinge on turning good performances into consistent wins. By adding more firepower around Isidor, we can become the clinical, ruthless team needed to secure a top two finish.

Calum Mills says...

I'd ideally like to see us bring in competition at full back for Trai Hume and Dennis Cirkin.

This season, Hume hasn't put in a performance of note nearly as solid as we saw last season.

He's been guilty of losing runners, slack passing and being weak in the tackle; for example, when he barely jumped with Andre Brooks against Sheffield United, losing his man and resulting in a well-struck shot on goal which forced Anthony Patterson into a save.

I feel this is due to a lack of competition, resulting in a lackadaisical approach to games. After all, if you've not got any real competition for your position, how do you get better? Or maybe as he's played twenty five games so far this season, it could be down to fatigue.

I feel that Cirkin has had his head turned by his agent, with the player rumoured to have turned down a new contract in recent weeks.

Up until then, he'd been great and is arguably the best left back in the league, but if he's got one foot out of the door, immediate cover for him should be at the top of the list, in my opinion.

There's talk of Jenson Seelt being back on the grass but he's not a right back or a wing back, and with Niall Huggins not due back this season either, we should be scouring the market for a player in the same position who'd relish the challenge.

We're in a privileged position at the moment and a solid young prospect from a Premier League club looking to make the step up could be the answer.

The most recent window saw us recruit some excellent talent, so unlike in previous transfer windows, I'll reserve judgement and let Kristjaan Speakman and company do their business.

John Wilson says…

Without guessing who may or may not be going out of the door this January, the most obvious position that needs strengthening is right back, as for me, every other position is covered if we had a fully fit squad.

Put yourself in the owner's position.

You're being asked to spend money on this position or that, but you know you already have assets that can potentially be used, so it would be a bit of a stretch to buy a player that might not be needed in a few weeks time.

Don't get me wrong - we could strengthen all over the pitch if money was no problem, but it is, so if we bear in mind that we haven't even seen two of our summer signings, and with Ian Poveda, Alan Browne, Dan Ballard, Romaine Mundle, Tommy Watson, Jenson Seelt, Niall Huggins, as well as Nectar Triantis and Pierre Ekwah possibly recalled, we actually have a decent squad.

On top of that, we're probably not going to be able to recruit a top player in this window.

It rarely happens, so why would a club let any decent player leave halfway through the season? So before the 'sign another striker' brigade comes out, who would it be?

If I could choose only one position to create competition all over the pitch, it would be right back.

Mark Roberts says...

I agree a lot with Anthony, but in recent games another position has shaded it and there are a few reasons for this.

With a plethora of good attacking options nearing fitness, players likes Chris Rigg, Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson will all be aiming for the starting eleven. These players will give Régis Le Bris a selection dilemma, and he might make an early substitution, but don't put any money on it.

I also feel there'll have to be movement out of the club before we improve our attacking options, with Nazariy Rusyn, Abdoullah Ba and Jewison Bennette all taking wages with almost zero minutes between them this season.

On top of this, who would we buy? Strikers bought in January haven't played to our expectations and now they're even higher.

In the last few games, we've looked shaky and a frequently a little chaotic at the back, with loose passes from slow decision making and more aerial duels lost than earlier in the season.

With Dan Ballard seemingly regularly injured and Jenson Seelt injured and untested at the promotion-chasing level, our other centre backs leave a bit to be desired.

Aji Alese could perhaps do a job but it's a gamble. Chris Mepham has been excellent, but he's been a great signing from a very different transfer policy from previous years, so can we have another, please?

Someone like Ben Mee of Brentford, a long shot on Tyrone Mings or even a swansong for the evergreen Jonny Evans?

We have a genuine chance for promotion, and a couple of tweaks may see us up there.