Sunderland have this Premier League striker at the ‘top’ of their transfer wish list this month.
Sunderland have been in need of striker additions since their return to the Championship in 2022.
The Black Cats went almost the entirety of last season without a recognised no.9 in their ranks, but still achieved a top six finish.
Then in the last summer transfer window, Sunderland brought in a few strikers, but none have managed to hit the ground running this season.
Michael Beale is now in need of a striker and one who’s recently been linked is Bournemouth and Wales international Kieffer Moore, who former Cherries boss Scott Parker described as being ‘horrible to play against’.
And Alan Nixon has revealed that the 31-year-old is at the ‘top’ of Sunderland’s wish list right now.
Kieffer Moore topping Sunderland wanted list
Moore was initially linked with the Black Cats earlier this month.
He’s fallen out of favour at Bournemouth this season having featured just seven times in the Premier League, with one goal to his name.
But the 40-cap Welsh international is proven at Championship level; he’s scored 47 in 155 total Championship appearances, netting 20 for Cardiff City in the 2020/21 campaign alone.
He doesn’t seem fit the new mould of Sunderland signings. But he’s got pedigree, and Nixon revealed Sunderland’s stance on the Bournemouth man on X:
Black Cats need to break the mould with Moore signing
Sunderland deserve a lot of respect for not only having a clear vision for the future, and a clear way of achieving said vision, but for being quite brutal in their methods.
Sacking Tony Mowbray was a bit premature for many, but it gave Sunderland the opportunity to bring in a new boss who could take over a club still in a good place.
Whether or not Beale is the right man remains to be seen. But there’s a sense that Sunderland could quickly fall off and instead of signing a young striker from Europe this month, they could do themselves a huge favour by signing Moore.
He’s experienced, proven in the Championship and still at a good age too.
He has the attributes to play as a lone striker which is what Beale needs, and he could also be a good mentor for some of Sunderland’s struggling attackers.
Finances may be tricky and there’ll surely be other clubs monitoring the situation. But if Sunderland can get a deal over the line for Moore then it could be a defining one for Beale and the Black Cats.