Sunderland may have already identified their perfect January transfer signing. But signing him is not going to be plain sailing for the Black Cats.
Kristjaan Speakman has certainly been a mixed figure among Sunderland fans over the last few years.
But on the whole, the Black Cats’ sporting director deserves huge amounts of praise for putting together a Sunderland XI arguably worth £100million or above, with names like Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham and more worth at least £20million.
January will be another test of Speakman’s transfer nous. There’s gaps in this Sunderland side that need plugging, no less in attack where the Black Cats have lacked a bit of killer instinct in recent weeks.
Marco Gabbiadini thinks Sunderland miss Amad Diallo or a player with that kind of natural finishing ability, with Jack Clarke another whose goals and assists haven’t been replaced by a single player just yet.
But there may be another Diallo-type loan signing on the horizon with Sunderland eyeing Aston Villa’s Louie Barry ahead of January.
Nick Barnes’ verdict on Louie Barry to Sunderland transfer rumour
Speaking on Total Sport, BBC pundit and Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes has spoken about Barry.
It’s reported that Barry has a number of Championship clubs on alert right now, making a potential January deal for the Stockport County loan star difficult.
Barnes says: “Louie Barry’s been mentioned from Aston Villa, attracting attention from a number of Championship clubs.
“He’s the sort of player that would fit the bill perfectly in one sense, because he’s only 20, if he was to arrive for six months, five months in January.
“But the old problem is that you’ve got that competition from those other clubs to try and persuade him to come to Sunderland.”
Barry is the current top scorer in League One this season with 14 goals in 20 games for the Hatters, as well as one assist.
Regis Le Bris clear on Sunderland’s main transfer focus for January
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Le Bris was asked about his plans for the January transfer window once again, and where he might focus his attentions.
Le Bris said when asked if Sunderland will focus on attacking signings: “Yes, probably we’ll pay specific attention to one or two players who can help.”
Barry’s links to the Stadium of Light then certainly seem credible. And given his fine form in League One and his young age, he could be the perfect fit for Sunderland as Barnes says.
Villa may feel likewise with the Black Cats not afraid to play younger players, and with Barry bound to get plenty of game time given Sunderland’s struggles in attack.