Sunderland bolstered their attacking ranks on Tuesday when they confirmed the signing of free agent striker Aaron Connolly on a one-year deal.
The Republic of Ireland international has been without a club since leaving Hull City at the end of last season, and joins the likes of Eliezer Mayenda, Wilson Isidor, Nazariy Rusyn, and Ahmed Abdullahi amongst Regis Le Bris’ centre forward options.
In his first interview with the club, Connolly said: “I feel very privileged to sign for Sunderland. I have only been up here for a short while, but it’s easy to see what this Club means to people and the atmosphere on Saturday showed that. I want to represent that in the right way and pay back the faith the Club has placed in me by playing well and doing what I love more than anything, which is scoring goals. I’m ready to move forward with my career after facing some challenges in recent times and I fully understand the huge opportunity I have ahead of me.”
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Meanwhile, addressing the 24-year-old’s arrival on Wearside, Black Cats sporting director Kristjaan Speakman added: “Aaron needs an opportunity to re-establish himself and to reset the perception of him as a professional athlete. It wasn’t long ago that he was scoring goals in the Premier League and playing for his national team, but he has suffered some setbacks. We all handle challenges differently and when it comes to responding, sometimes we don’t get it right immediately.
“At Sunderland, he’ll have the environment and support to perform and an opportunity to showcase his ability. It’s an important 17-game period following the next international break and we believe Aaron can add value to our squad during that period. We look forward to helping him settle and supporting him in that process.”
And all eyes will now be on Speakman as the January window approaches. If Connolly’s arrival works out well, then there could be a good chance that Sunderland will not move to sign another striker this winter. And that got us thinking about all of the targets that came and went over the course of a fraught summer of speculation.
So, with that in mind, here is every striker acquisition that the Black Cats were linked with and a lowdown on how well they have performed in front of goal so far this season. Check out our full gallery below...
5. Zan Vipotnik - 2 goals
A free signing for Swansea City after speculative links with the Black Cats, the Slovenian has scored just twice across 16 appearances in all competitions so far. | Getty Images
6. Sinclair Armstrong - 2 goals
Sunderland were said to be keen on Armstrong before he signed for Bristol City over the summer, but his return has been fairly underwhelming, with two goals in 15 outings across all competitions. | Getty Images
7. Lucas Stassin - 2 goals
Stassin himself revealed Sunderland's interest in him in an interview shortly after the window closed. Now a teammate of Black Cats loanee Pierre Ekwah at St. Etienne, he has yet to score in France, but has managed four assists in eight appearances, as well as two goals and three assists in five outings for former club KVC Westerlo before making the jump to Ligue 1. | Belga/AFP via Getty Images
8. Gift Orban - 2 goals
Hopes of signing Orban were dashed when he came off the bench to score two goals for Lyon on deadline day itself. He has drawn blanks in four further appearances since. | AFP via Getty Images