Sunderland have been very busy on transfer deadline day, but any potential approach for Adam Armstrong was always destined to fail.
Not content with the likely arrival of Jayden Danns on loan from Liverpool, Sunderland have been pushing for another attacker all day.
Regis Le Bris clearly wants more strength in depth in the forward areas as he looks to steer the Black Cats towards promotion this season, and Adam Armstrong was mooted as a potential option earlier on deadline day.
However, he’s not one of the potential deals we expect to happen for Sunderland right now, and there’s a very good reason for that.
- READ MORE: Sunderland make remarkable £10m bid for Leicester City player and Foxes have already responded
Adam Armstrong doesn’t want Sunderland move as he’s a Newcastle fan
No sooner had Sunderland been linked with Armstrong, than it was reported the player would have ‘no interest’ in heading to the Stadium of Light for any potential move.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise, really, as Alex Crook reminded everyone of Armstrong’s affinity with Sunderland’s closest rivals, Newcastle United.
Taking to Twitter/X, Crook wrote: “As mentioned on talkSPORT this afternoon, Sunderland have shown interest in Southampton striker Adam Armstrong but the boyhood Newcastle United fan is not keen to join their bitter rivals.”
It is thought Sunderland made a loan offer for the 27-year-old on deadline day, but any possibility of the move going through appears dead in the water at the time of writing.
- READ MORE: Sunderland outcast with just nine minutes to his name this season linked with League One transfer
Adam Armstrong would be a great signing, but he’s not essential
With Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda upfront, Sunderland are not lacking in top quality players in the attacking area. However, an injury to either could totally derail the Black Cats’ season now.
As long as the move for Jayden Danns goes through as expected, Le Bris will feel comfortable that he is well-stocked when it comes to strikers. As such, Armstrong would only have been a luxury to have rather than a necessity.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 60 | 19 | 41 | 63 |
| 2 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 41 | 21 | 20 | 61 |
| 3 |  BurnleyBurnley | 30 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 36 | 9 | 27 | 58 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 29 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 42 | 24 | 18 | 55 |
| 5 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 34 | 29 | 5 | 45 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 30 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 44 |
Still, Sunderland will be gutted to miss out on the signing, as having all four of those players to choose from could have been the difference between a play-off finish and a top two finish this season.
While Burnley and Sheffield United have signed proven players in the form of Marcus Edwards and Tom Cannon, Sunderland will now be hoping that the raw talent of Danns is enough to give them the boost they need.