Sunderland should reconsider their tight transfer policy and sign a 28-year-old who might make a significant difference next season.
Kyril Louis Dreyfus’ ambitions to invest in youth were evident from the moment he became Sunderland’s majority stakeholder in 2022, signing only one player above the age of 22 that summer.
The Black Cats have since signed Jewison Bennette, Jobe Bellingham, and Romaine Mundle, but they have also released a number of more experienced players. In reality, this season’s roster has only five players above the age of 24.
The club’s transfer policy has become a two-edged sword. Sunderland has done an excellent job of bringing in players with high potential, developing them into Premier League stars, and then selling them for a profit.
However, it has left us in the ‘in between stage’, where the majority of our players are not yet ready to start in the Championship, resulting in seven defeats in eight games.
Kristjaan Speakman, on the other hand, has refused to change his tactics despite the lack of success with the four strikers he signed in the summer, all of whom are 20 years old.
However, the 45-year-old should abandon his stubbornness and hunt for a more seasoned and established player who, like Ross Stewart, can threaten a goal mouth. In reality, he should revisit Stewart’s home nation.
The former Sunderland striker was purchased from Ross County for under £300,000 in 2021, but Speakman should now search more than 150 miles south for a successor.
Lawrence Shankland is a name that has been floating around Wearside for quite some time, and it never fails to appear. There’s a reason for this: he’s extremely talented.
Shankland joined Hearts from Belgian club Beerschot in 2022 and has scored 44 goals in only 67 Scottish Premiership outings. His overall career stats are even more amazing, with 202 goals and 57 assists in 409 games.
The ‘world-class’ 28-year-old reportedly drew interest from both Saudi Arabia and the Championship last summer, and was rumored to be available for as little as £3 million plus add-ons.
Sunderland can bag a bargain if they aren’t so stubborn
Shankland will reach the final year of his contract in the summer, therefore Hearts may aim to sell him for a profit after being advised in January that he would not sign a new term.
Sunderland are likely to have stiff competition for Shankland’s signature, but he will undoubtedly regard Stewart’s success at the Stadium of Light as motivation for himself, and it also means he won’t be far from Scotland.
There are very few goalscoring attackers available these days, so the Black Cats would be passing up a fantastic opportunity if they don’t try to recruit the Scotland international this summer.
Speakman will undoubtedly recognize that if he continues to stick to his transfer policy, the fanbase will begin to demand his resignation. His transfer activity has been horrible for more than a year.
