Sunderland are experiencing striker troubles once again this summer.
Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has now had several transfer windows to alleviate Sunderland’s striker woes.
And he’s had ample time this summer. But with two weeks left in the summer transfer window, the Black Cats still don’t have a new striker through the Stadium of Light doors.
Sunderland have been linked with Alexandre Mendy throughout the summer.
Mendy is determined to leave Caen after his impressive 22-goal haul in Ligue 2 last season.
But Sunderland and Caen are yet to agree on a price tag for the player, who’s since returned to first-team training at Caen.
Speakman and Sunderland want Mendy to push for an exit before the August 30th transfer deadline, in a bid to lower the asking price to around £2.5million.
Whether or not that plan will work remains to be seen. But Speakman definitely needs a back up plan in place, should a deal for Mendy not come through.
Sunderland must consider Championship-linked Sory Kaba as Alexandre Mendy alternative
There’s a number of clubs in the Championship trying to sign a striker this summer, though it seems like Sunderland are perhaps the most in need.
Whilst Michael Graham still thinks Sunderland sign Mendy this summer, there’s never any guarantee.
With that in mind, Speakman should weigh up a possible, last-minute swoop for Sory Kaba at Las Palmas.
The 29-year-old is best known in the Football League for his spell on loan at Cardiff City during the second half of the 2022/23, where scored eight goals in 17 Championship outings.
He joined Las Palmas from Danish outfit FC Midtjylland last summer, but the Spanish club are looking to offload the Guinean who scored just once in 17 La Liga outings last season.
Kaba has been linked with the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United this summer, with reports last month that a £1.3million bid from a Championship club had been accepted.
But Kaba remains at Las Palmas.
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Why Sory Kaba can be the perfect Alexandre Mendy alternative for Sunderland
With Regis Le Bris looking set to play a lone striker this season, he needs a striker who’s mobile, and physical.
Kaba showed during his time with Cardiff City that he’s a powerful centre forward who can lead the line, and score different types of goals.
In that sense, he’s very much like Mendy, albeit without Mendy’s goal-scoring record from the past few years.
But Kaba is a much cheaper alternative and likely readily-available having fallen well out of favour at Las Palmas, and with other Championship teams seemingly moving on from him.
Kaba has a good Championship record too, albeit a brief one, and could give Le Bris a much-needed option up front, should a deal for Mendy fall through.