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...
13. Daniel Jebbison - 0 goals
The young forward sealed a deadline day loan move to Watford from Bournemouth, but has failed to score for either side across a dozen outings so far this term. | Dan Istitene/Getty Images Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images
14. Roko Simic - 0 goals
Another nearly man, Simic signed for Cardiff City instead of Sunderland this summer, and was immediately loaned out to KV Kortrijk. No goals in 143 minutes of action so far. | AFP via Getty Images
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15. Aaron Connolly - 0 goals
A tricky start to life on Wearside as Connolly continues to ease his way into the first team picture. No goals across 152 minutes of action, at the time of writing. | Getty Images