Sunderland had a great start to the January transfer window by picking up Enzo Le Fee, but what they do next could be absolutely crucial to their season.
In many ways, the arrival of Enzo Le Fee was a bit of a luxury signing for Sunderland. The team is already blessed with brilliant players in the middle of the park, but the Frenchman takes them to the next level.
Now, Sunderland’s next transfer priority is seemingly to bring in a new striker to cover for and compete with Wilson Isidor.
However, the Black Cats would be better off reinforcing in another area as quickly as possible, and if the next confirmed Sunderland transfer doesn’t solve this issue, Regis Le Bris could see his side’s promotion push fade away.
Chris Mepham injury pushes Sunderland past the ‘limit’
After the 0-0 draw with Burnley on Friday night, Le Bris confirmed Chris Mepham had suffered an injury and the Sunderland boss hinted it could be ‘serious’.
If so, that leaves Sunderland in trouble when it comes to squad depth. Le Bris already said Aji Alese’s injury pushed the team to the limit, admitting one more injury would mean a new defender was needed.
We are now at that point already, and if the Black Cats are to stay on track for promotion this season, they can ill-afford to be let down by injuries. Their Championship rivals have deep squads full of talent, and Sunderland need to reach that level fast.
Sure, Mepham might come back quickly. He might even be ready to play by the weekend, but the fact remains that Sunderland are right at the threshold of what is acceptable, and leaving the squad open to that risk would just be foolish at this stage of the season with so much at stake.
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Versatile defender has to be top of the shopping list now
So far this season, we’ve already seen the likes of Trai Hume, Aji Alese, and Luke O’Nien play various different roles across the back four. Clearly, Le Bris likes a defender who can offer versatility, and we can expect his next signing to be of a similar ilk.
It would make sense, then, for Sunderland to be looking at left-sided (and ideally left-footed) centre-halves who could operate at left-back if needed, too. Whether that be a loan deal or a permanent signing remains to be seen.
Admittedly, it would make more sense to dip into the loan market again, as Sunderland simply do not know what league they will be in next season — there’s no point adding a Championship quality player to the Sunderland squad now, if you’re going to need Premier League players in six months time.
It’s pure speculation on our part, but Sunderland could look at someone like Luc De Fougerolles at Fulham, or Justin Hubner at Wolves as short-term solutions who also offer potential for the future, too. The Sunderland scouting team can thank us later for those recommendations.