This is the deadline facing Sunderland to sign Arbenit Xhemajli - if he is to play against Hull City on Saturday

The Black Cats make their long-awaited return to competitive action this weekend after close to six months since their last League One outing.

New signings Aiden O’Brien, Remi Matthews and Morgan Feeney could all make their debuts against the Tigers, while Bailey Wright could also be involved after agreeing a permanent move to Wearside.

And while he has added those four new faces to his ranks already, Phil Parkinson is keen to strengthen his ranks even further before the window closes in mid-October.

Kosovan defender Arbenit Xhemajli is nearing a move and is currently training with Sunderland after impressing during a trial spell, while striker Danny Graham is also known to be a target for Parkinson this summer.

But if the Black Cats want either player to be available for the cup clash with Hull City, they will have to ensure that all the necessary paperwork is lodged with the EFL no later than Noon on Friday, September 4 – for this is the registration deadline for players to be eligible for Saturday’s games.

Should any potential signing not be registered in time, then they could play against Aston Villa under-21s in the group stage of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, September 8.

Speaking about new signings following Saturday’s victory over Harrogate, Parkinson said: “Arbenit is back in the country and talks with that one are ongoing.

“Hopefully we can add one or two to what we've got, as I and every manager in the country keeps saying, strength in numbers is going to be very important this season.

“We've got one or two other things that we're going to have a chat about now as a staff, to see where we go with our options.

“We know what we need, we know the question marks on the office wall that we need to fill.

“We're working towards that.”

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