Sunderland may well have reached the play-offs this season, says journalist Phil Smith, if they completed this one January signing.
The January signing was a very mixed one for Sunderland, who signed three new players; Romaine Mundle, Leo Hjelde, and Callum Styles.
Mundle and Hjelde joined on permanent deals whilst Styles joined on loan from Barnsley, with the Black Cats now weighing up whether or not to sign him permanently.
But it was another transfer window where Sunderland and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman missed out on a new striker.
And in the end, Sunderland paid for their lack of goal scorers, among others things, eventually finishing in 16th place of the Championship table.
There was a 17-point gap between Sunderland and Norwich City in 6th come the end of the season. But if the Black Cats had signed Kieffer Moore in January, it may well have been a different story.
Sunderland tried to sign Kieffer Moore in January
Bournemouth and Wales striker Moore was heavily linked with a move to the Stadium of Light# ahead of January, and then during the window too.
In the end, he signed for Ipswich Town on loan, going on to score seven goals in 18 Championship appearances for the Tractor Boys who earned automatic promotion with a 2nd place finish.
It’s since come to light that Sunderland had agreed a deal to sign Moore on loan, but that a disagreement over the wages meant that Ipswich Town were able to swoop in.
And commenting on the matter, Smith said on The Roar: “Let’s say theoretically, if Sunderland had gone to the level they had to to land Kieffer Moore in January, maybe they would’ve snuck in the play-offs, and then who knows.”
One other major issue meant Sunderland didn’t make play-offs
There’s no doubting that a lack of a striker was a huge issue for Sunderland in 2023/24, and it’s yet another pressing issue for the club to fix this summer.
But it’s one of a few problems at the club. Perhaps the biggest problem of all though was the lack of a manager.
Mike Dodds was in interim charge and after the first few defeats never looked like he’d go on to get a tune out of the side.
After Tony Mowbray, Sunderland didn’t really hire a ‘manager’ in Michael Beale, but more of a coach; Mowbray was the best of both worlds it seems, whereas Beale failed to connect with fans and actually manage the situation that the club was in.
So as well as a new striker this summer, Sunderland simply have to hire the right head coach or manager, and then give him the tools needed to make Sunderland into a top six side once again.