Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
With Premier League clubs so awash with money these days due to such large TV deals it’s a rarity to hear of one in money troubles. Unfortunately that problem has been placed in the hands of Sunderland and it’s one that can only exacerbate the struggle to stave off relegation.
In a bid to beat the drop on a near annual basis Sunderland have spent large swathes of money but they have not necessarily spent that money all that wisely. As a consequence they well has now run dry at The Stadium Of Light leaving David Moyes with very few options in this transfer window.
But with a squad already devoid of quality and a mixture of injury and absence to what key players they do have, Moyes is going to have to try and bring in some new faces over the course of January if they are to have any chance of staying up.
Here are three players that could be on their way to the North East this month.
Emmanuel Emenike
With the interest of Jermaine Defoe from West Ham now cooled down that will come as a huge relief to Sunderland and with the former England international now set to stay on Wearside the club could do with an additional forward so as to lessen his goalscoring burden. That man could very well be Emmanuel Emenike.
The Nigerian forward has already has some Premier League experience with West Ham last season during a loan spell from Turkish side Fenerbahce. Although for many it was a forgettable one as 13 league appearances failed to register a solitary goal.
With a return back to his parent club, he has managed to once again find the net this season with 3 goals in 10 Turkish Super Lig appearances. Perhaps they are not the kind of goal statistics to get Sunderland fans all that excited but with funds and options limited then they should at least be happy that their talisman Defoe may well be getting a strike partner.
Adam Webster
With Lamine Kone absent from the club due to African Cup Of Nations duty with Ivory Coast that leaves a big gap in an already shaky defence and with the aforementioned lack of funds it could be difficult to replace someone of the likes of Kone especially without spending a large amount of money.
But that said it’s not impossible and if Sunderland are prepared to cast their net a bit wider then they may well find their perfect replacement in The Championship. The club have been monitoring the performances of Ipswich’s Adam Webster and will look to capture his signature this month.
If Sunderland are to gain the services of the 21 year old then they will have to clear out some of the deadwood in their squad to free up much needed funds. Should those funds materialise then they may well be able to land one of the hottest prospects outside of the Premier League.
It may be a bit of a calculated risk but David Moyes feels that Webster can make the step up to the top flight immediately and therefore would be ready to thrust him into first team action should a deal be completed. Then again with the absence of Kone he may well be forced to.
Mohamed Sissoko
With such the plight that Sunderland are in they may well have to do make do with signing free agents this month and one of them could be Momo Sissoko. Sissoko will be a name familiar to Liverpool fans after his three year stint on Merseyside between 2005 and 2008.
Since then Sissoko’s career has been pretty nomadic with a list of former employers that includes the likes of Juventus and PSG and with nearly a decade away from the English top flight he could now be set for a return with The Black Cats.
It was a return that was almost made in September as Sissoko underwent a trial at West Bromwich Albion but manager Tony Pulis decided against signing the Mali international. But with Sissoko still available to sign then the 31 year old could be Sunderland’s loss and West Brom’s gain.
