Sunderland were in the market for strikers in January, eventually landing one on deadline day in Liverpool’s Jayden Danns. But the teenager is yet to feature.
Sunderland’s January transfer window has since received mixed reviews. The signings of Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor are certainly positive, but the signing of Jayden Danns has since been questioned by Sunderland fans.
The Liverpool loanee discovered he had a back injury upon arriving for his Sunderland medical and it’s not yet clear when he’ll be able to feature in the Championship, with just 13 games left and a possible play-off bout too.
For Kristjaan Speakman, expect strikers to yet again be the focus in the summer transfer window, as it has been for the last several transfer windows at the Stadium of Light.
And as he often does, Speakman could return for some players who’ve been linked with Sunderland in the past. January saw several strikers linked with Sunderland and one or two could quite easily come onto the radar against in the summer.
Chuba Akpom impressing for Lille after January links to Sunderland
One striker who Sunderland looked at in January was Chuba Akpom. The former Middlesbrough man was free to leave Ajax and he had interest from several teams, with Sunderland linked alongside Fiorentina and Lille. The latter eventually signed him on loan with an option to buy.
Since, Akpom has hit the ground running for Lille. An injury to Jonathan David has allowed for Akpom to slot into the XI. He debuted against Abdoullah Ba’s Dunkerque and got his first goal against Timothee Pembele’s Le Havre, with a goal in the following game against Rennes.
There’s no reports of how much Lille can sign Akpom for in the summer. Though Ajax previously paid Middlesbrough a fee just north of £12million for Akpom in 2023, and with his Ajax contract running until 2028, it could take at least an eight-figure fee to sign Akpom permanently in the summer.
Chuba Akpom ship may have sailed, but Sunderland looking in the right places
Akpom on loan for the remainder of the season would’ve been a great signing for Sunderland, as his emphatic start to life at Lille may prove.
But Lille hold all the cards where a possible permanent move is regarded in the summer. Even then, at 29 years old and likely costing close to £10million, it’s not the kind of signing that Sunderland make under the ownership of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and co.
For Speakman though, seeing Akpom prevail in France only proves that he continues to look in the right places for new talent, and new strikers. It’s simply a case of beating other teams to targets.
The summer transfer window promises to be a busy one at the Stadium of Light, promotion or not.