Sunderland are closing in on their ninth signing of the summer transfer window

With Robin Roefs confirmed as Sunderland's eighth summer signing, focus not turns to finalising number nine.

It seems almost certain to be Chelsea striker Marc Guiu, with the Black Cats agreeing a season-long loan deal to sign the 19-year-old on Thursday. Guiu was given permission to travel for a medical as a result and all being well, the deal will be sealed imminently.

While Sunderland have continued their policy of focusing primarily on recruiting young talent this summer, Guiu represents something of an unknown in the way most of their recruits do not.

Which is not to say that Guiu's talent isn't clear, as it most definitely is. The striker was a regular in Barcelona's B side, who play competitively in the Spanish lower leagues. He made a spectacular impact when breaking through into the senior team, scoring a winner against Athletic just seconds into his debut. Chelsea's decision to sign him was a reflection of his reputation, the Premier League club capitalising on a release clause in his contract. Though minutes in his first season at Stamford Bridge were relatively limited, his regular involvement in the squad and particularly in the Conference League was a reflection of the club's belief in his ability. That was underlined both by his involvement in the recent Club World Cup, and the fact that Chelsea have not considered either a option or obligation-to-buy clause in this loan deal. Their decision to loan him out to a Premier League club is a reflection that they believe he can be their number nine in the future.

And that description of number nine is an apt one. Watching Guiu in action through his clips in wyscout, it is clear that he will bring something a littler different to Sunderland's striking options. His heatmaps show a player who stays very central, rather than drifting out wide as both Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda like to do. He has throughout his career to date scored headed goals, something that you would again not say is a particular strength of Sunderland's current striking options. Indeed, his reputation breaking through Barcelona's famed La Masia academy was as something of an outlier for the time, an old-school centre forward at his best in the penalty box in an era of the false nine.

Guiu's link-up play looks to have improved from those early days when he was seen as something of a poacher, and his albeit brief appearances in a Chelsea shirt show a play happy to drop deep and bring others into play. What's absolutely clear even from his short career so far is that Guiu's work rate is relentless, a striker who loves to press the opposition defence and disrupt their build-up play. A couple of his Conference League strikes last season actually came from pouncing on loose backpasses, and in a team that is realistically going to cede possession to his opponent next season, a striker who can run long distances and counterpress will be invaluable to Sunderland.

What this means for Sunderland’s striking options this season

Despite his obvious reputation and promise, Guiu's senior experience is limited and so expectations will have to be tempered at least to a degree. Signing a player of this profile is probably something of a signal from Sunderland, certainly in how talented they believe Guiu to be but also the faith they have in their other two senior strikers.

Isidor's pace and finishing ability on the break could be vital this season, and Sunderland rightly believe they have one of the most promising young strikers in Europe when it comes to Mayenda. There may be a process of adjusting to the pace and quality of Premier League level, but the Black Cats will be backing him to make a real impact.

Guiu compliments the pair rather than arriving as an obvious replacement, bringing depth and something a little different to Régis Le Bris's options.

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