Inside Sunderland's dramatic and exciting deadline day - and the two key issues still to be settled

Attached was a picture of Defoe celebrating that strike against Chelsea, one of the many that made him a true Wearside goalscoring hero in his first spell at the club.

“Exactly mate,” Defoe replied.

This emotional return was always the move he wanted.

In the aftermath of his departure from Rangers the 39-year-old appeared on talkSPORT, and spoke of wanting to enjoy what could potentially be the last six months of his career in front of fans.

With League One promotion still very much a live prospect, the Stadium of Light was always going to be the best place to do that.

Jones, a non-executive director at the club, knew Defoe and is thought to have played an integral role in the long talks that finally yielded a positive resolution on Monday night.

Jones was one of those at the club who felt it was a deal that made sense both in what Defoe could bring on the pitch but just as importantly, the impact his presence and professionalism could have behind the scenes at the Academy of Light.

That it would enthuse the fanbase was obvious, the mood borderline delirious as the neared on deadline day.

None of which was to say that this was straightforward.

Though Lee Johnson’s reservations were made clear in a press conference a week-and-a-half ago, sources stressed throughout that this was a ‘complex deal’ and while the former head coach was a factor, it was not the only one.

Monday always looked like a crossroads moment because although as a free agent the striker could put pen to paper at any time, were he not to sign then the Black Cats needed to strike elsewhere before the 11pm deadline.

Not signing a striker to lighten the load on Ross Stewart was unthinkable.

While club sources were eager to ensure fans’ hopes were not raised prematurely, both sides made clear from around lunchtime that even though the deal was absolutely not done, something had not definitively shifted.

Defoe was coming home.

With Nathan Broadhead expected to return on time from a hamstring injury, the options in the forward area look strong for the run-in.

It should be said as well that retaining talent is a key part of any window and in this case, that suitors were never given the slightest indication that the club might be prepared to entertain offers for Ross Stewart or Dan Neil is worthy of praise.

Even if Defoe’s return created an exhilarating narrative, there was an acceptance right across Wearside that it would absolutely not be enough on its own to represent a successful January window.

That was the subplot of deadline day, and in the end the results were mixed.

Recruiting a central midfielder was another key priority. Carl Winchester has been regularly deployed at right back this season, Luke O’Nien is injured until March, Corry Evans has had injury issues and unsurprisingly, Neil has gone through a slight dip of form as a relentless schedule in his first full season catches up with him a touch.

So the late swoop for Fleetwood Town’s Jay Matete was encouraging.

At 20 Matete still has a huge amount of room to grow, but has been a regular this season and so should be capable of making some significant immediate impact.

Matete has been extensively scouted by Championship and Premier League clubs, and it required a significant six-figure sum to secure his long-term future.

Where there was less success, and now some level of concern, was in defence.

Sunderland allowed Denver Hume to leave for Portsmouth last week, but opted not to pursue a replacement.

Their options in the long-term are strong enough, but in the short-term they are lacking depth while Niall Huggins recovers from a stress fracture of the back and Trai Hume settles into the club.

Not strengthening the backline would have raised eyebrows, and as it happened the Black Cats actually ended up weakened further.

The decision to let Tom Flanagan leave for Shrewsbury Town made sense, up to a point.

Kristjaan Speakman is overseeing what will likely be a four-window project of overhauling the squad he inherited, bringing down the average age and pivoting to a more dynamic playing style.

It was clear that the 30-year-old Flanagan, now in the last six months of his deal, would not be offered a new contract and that his immediate game time would be limited severely by the arrival of Danny Batth.

Allowing him the move secures his long-term future and so is without a doubt the best thing for him (and Sunderland’s progressive approach to letting players leave when their playing prospects are poor is noble), but the failure to replace him leaves the new head coach an injury or two away from having a major issue.

The Black Cats did try and recruit, but fell short.

Behind Batth and Callum Doyle they now only have Bailey Wright, who has had injury issues, and Arbenit Xhemajli, who is talented but has not made a league appearance after that major knee injury.

It now seems certain that Speakman and the new boss will have to at the very least explore the free agent market. O’Nien’s return would of course be a major boost, potentially addressing both of those defensive positions at one.

The focus now is on recruiting a head coach.

In the immediate aftermath of Johnson’s departure it became clear that no instant replacement was lined up, which raised the stakes on the board’s decision to change course even higher.

There is a desire to find a quick resolution, with Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor expected to support the remaining first-team coaching staff in the interim.

The dilemma that Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman face now is whether they press ‘pause’ on the long-term project, favouring a short-term appointment with a ‘proven’ operator.

The issue there is that this is a young squad recruited to play a specific, progressive style. Appoint a results-first, more pragmatic boss and there is no guarantee they will get results out of this group playing a different style.

And if they don’t, where then? And what impact will it have had on the encouraging development of so many of these young players?

If they opt for a longer-term successor, then they have made clear that they are all the same expected to deliver instantly (and rightly so, that should only ever be the objective for this club in this division).

On the whole it’s been a window in which Sunderland have again made targeted investments, and they have brought more genuinely exciting talent to the club.

But in defence and in the dugout, they have without a doubt rolled the dice.

Even by Sunderland's standards it has been a dramatic 48 hours, but big decisions still lie ahead.

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