Sunderland have had several failed attempts at signing strikers, but finally look close to confirming one.
The Black Cats’ main priority in the January transfer window has been the necessity of attaining a top goalscorer at Championship level.
Every player that Sunderland have been linked with in the window has shown their ambition, but it has acted as a double-edged sword due to the fact that competition has been high for all players targeted by Kristjaan Speakman.
It took a while, but Sunderland are finally set to bring in a striker, with Liverpool set to send Jayden Danns on loan to Wearside for the remainder of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.
Whilst a solid signing at this level, it has been an excruciating wait to sign a striker this window, with several names being linked before Danns.
Every striker linked to Sunderland prior to Jayden Danns progress
At the start of the transfer window, Sunderland were focused on deals for Premier League duo Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon, however, both opted for a move to Sheffield United.
Meanwhile, former Championship man Chuba Akpom also moved to Lille ahead of a return to the North East, this time with Sunderland.
Matija Frigan was another name linked with a move to Sunderland but the past week has seen less speculation over his future, whilst Pape Cherif Ndiaye, Semih Kilicsoy and Cameron Archer have been rumoured recently, as well as Adam Armstrong.
More names to add to the ever-growing list are Louie Barry, who opted for Hull City, as well as Emil Riis and Willem Geubbels.
11 options later, and Sunderland finally managed to land on Liverpool loanee Jayden Danns on deadline day.
| PLAYER | AGE | PREVIOUS CLUB | CURRENT CLUB |
| Ben Brereton Diaz | 25 | Southampton | Sheffield United |
| Tom Cannon | 22 | Leicester City | Sheffield United |
| Chuba Akpom | 29 | Ajax | Lille |
| Matija Frigan | 21 | / | KVC Westerlo |
| Pape Cherif Ndiaye | 29 | / | Red Star Belgrade |
| Semih Kilicsoy | 19 | / | Besiktas |
| Cameron Archer | 23 | / | Southampton |
| Adam Armstrong | 27 | / | Southampton |
| Louie Barry | 21 | Aston Villa | Hull City |
| Emil Riis | 26 | / | Preston North End |
| Willem Geubbels | 23 | / | St. Gallen |
| Jayden Danns | 19 | Liverpool | Sunderland* |
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Jayden Danns will be worth the wait for Black Cats fans
It has been a long and gruelling process for Sunderland throughout the January transfer window, with their list of targets chalked off stretching into double-figures, but a deal for Danns looks like one of the more promising of the bunch.
His experience in the Premier League and Champions League provides the foundations for a top talent, and there is no doubt that he will provide brilliant competition to Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda.