Sunderland have their fair share of work left to do in the summer transfer market.
Sunderland have signed just four new players this summer, and two of those signings have been goalkeepers.
Kristjaan Speakman has certainly addressed the lack of Championship experience with his signings, and with the signing of Alan Browne in particular.
But the Black Cats are still missing the key ingredient; a new striker.
Earlier this summer, Speakman addressed Sunderland’s striker search, reiterating the fact that a new one is needed.
Then in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Regis Le Bris spoke out on Sunderland’s striker search, suggesting that he’s happy with his current options but hinting that he too feels a new striker is needed.
On Thursday, previous Sunderland target Ike Ugbo completed his return to Sheffield Wednesday.
But despite Sunderland being in desperate need of a new no.9, it still seems like the Black Cats are working on certain player exits, with Le Bris confirming that Timothee Pembele could leave on loan.
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Regis Le Bris confirms Timothee Pembele could leave Sunderland on loan
Pembele, 21, joined Sunderland on a permanent deal from PSG last summer, then going on to feature eight times in the 2023/24 Championship campaign.
The right-back spent a large portion of the season out injured. But he showed glimpses of a very solid player, notably in a 0-0 draw vs Leeds United in April.
Speaking on Thursday, though, Le Bris admitted that Pembele could go out on loan before August 30th, with the French defender having not featured in the last friendly outing vs Marseille.
Le Bris said: “We are discussing this with him at the moment.
“For him and for us, we need to find the right solution. It’s possible that he could leave on loan, that is possible.”
Kristjaan Speakman must think twice about Timothee Pembele Sunderland exit
Right-back is a position that Sunderland really aren’t well-stocked in.
As things stand, Pembele and Trai Hume are Le Bris’ two options in that position, with Hume the obvious pick to start.
So sending Pembele out on loan would mean that Le Bris surely needs a new option coming in.
And Premier League clubs may be reluctant to send a right-back on loan to Sunderland this summer, only for him to play back-up to Hume.
The likes of Luke O’Nien could likely do a job at right-back, and Jenson Seelt when he eventually returns from injury.
But sending Pembele out on loan, whilst probably best for the player, would only serve to create more transfer headaches for Speakman and Sunderland.
The main priority right no should be a new striker.