Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC Q&A: Transfer latest, striker selections and fixture calls under the microscope

More tough fixtures loom on the horizon, while the opening fixtures have thrown up a number of questions about the campaign ahead.

There is also still a fortnight left of the transfer window, and so there is plenty to ponder as Phil Smith runs through the main questions at the club in his weekly Q&A…

What business can we expect from Sunderland between now and the end of the window?

I think we can expect a minimum of two deals.

Morgan Feeney's hamstring injury, which is set to keep him out for around four months, has prompted a rethink and I'd expect another addition in that position.

It's going to be a long, punishing season and Phil Parkinson will want two options for each slot in his back three.

Feeney was seen as Wright's understudy and his absence leaves a gap to be filled. It will be interesting to see what option they go for, as it's worth remembering that Feeney not only acted as valuable cover for Parkinson, but was also slated to play a crucial role for the U23 side the club have vowed to improve this year.

That team's defence also looks very light without Feeney, as you wouldn't expect Arbenit Xhemajli to play every week as the season develops and he gets more involved at first-team level.

Then, of course, there is the left wing-back position.

It was the last position to be filled last summer and it looks as if it could be a similar story this time around.

In truth, Denver Hume has relaxed the mood by starting the season in such superb form.

Luke O'Nien and Lynden Gooch can offer short-term cover and as long as Hume is playing to this standard, he'll have the shirt.

But Parkinson wants depth and so you still expect a player to arrive in this position.

The Black Cats boss has outlined previously that there isn't a huge amount of cash left in the pot in terms of wages under the salary cap rules.

You'd think this position will be where the bulk of that goes, because it's very hard to see a club loaning a promising wing-back to Sunderland when it's so clear that, rightly, Hume is at the front of the queue.

What's the latest on Mateo Bajamich and will Sunderland pursue another option if they don't sign him?

Bajamich's departure from Instituto, it's fair to say, has dragged on for some time.

For as long as he hasn't signed on the dotted line elsewhere, Sunderland's interest has remained live to an extent.

The word is, as expected, that Bajamich will sign for MLS side Houston Dynamo. We will see.

It won't be a great surprise to see him sign elsewhere, as from the day the news broke, Phil Parkinson was pretty sanguine about the deal.

He stressed that the interest from other clubs had driven the price up, and strongly hinted that this had taken the exciting striker out of Sunderland's price range.

Whether Sunderland will look elsewhere is an interesting question.

Bajamich came onto Sunderland's radar as a player who could be available this summer, and who then came through their analysis favourably.

Discussing the player, Parkinson noted that he was an exciting prospect as he clearly possesses some real pace and dynamism in the final third.

The salary cap rules means there is a focus on U21 players and all of this combined meant that approval was given from the very top to explore a deal.

The point of this is to underline that it doesn't mean Parkinson will definitely add a striker before the window shuts, or that there is definitely a pot of money available which will be spent on a player if Bajamich does go elsewhere.

The flip side of this is that throughout the process, sources at the club have stressed that Bajamich was just one of a number of options being explored in the U21 bracket.

Sunderland fans, too, rightly think that there is a lack of pace when it comes to the club's attacking options at present and it will be interesting to see if there are steps taken to address that.

In terms of players arriving from abroad, however, we will know soon enough.

Remember that the transfer deadline shuts on Monday. Sunderland can do business until October 15th, but after Monday it can only be with fellow EFL clubs, or those in the Premier League.

What chance of seeing Jack Diamond and Dan Neil in action this weekend?

Max Power is set to return at The Valley, which will almost certainly mean Josh Scowen dropping to the bench.

So I suspect we won't see Dan Neil involved in the 18. Whether Jack Diamond keeps his place in the squad probably depends on how Chris Maguire is faring.

Parkinson was relaxed about the knock he picked up in the Peterborough win, and we'll fine out on Thursday whether he's fit to play.

The next big opportunity for both is going to come on Tuesday, when I'd expect both to start against Carlisle United in the EFL Trophy.

Parkinson has said that he expects chances for the pair to come when the fixture schedule starts to get really congested in late October.

That Carlisle game is the next chance for them to really put their hands up.

Diamond, in particular, is doing everything he can.

He was excellent against Burnley U23s ten days ago and on a difficult afternoon against Leeds United U23s on Monday, he was the one Black Cats player to stand out.

There were some shaky defensive moments (and it's fair to wonder whether wing-back is a position that totally suits his skills) but he never stopped trying to make an impression on the ball and totally deserved his late consolation goal.

Neil's first professional contract is also a big boost for the club, who've allowed far too many local talents to leave the club.

Let's hope this is the start of a different trend.

Why don't Sunderland just play the Blackpool game?

It's understood that the players who've been called up are Tom Flanagan, Conor McLaughlin and Arbenit Xhemajli.

When you consider their roles in the squad, you can see why the call has been made.

Flanagan is a first-choice defender at the moment and were he unavailable, the natural replacement is, of course, Arbenit Xhemajli.

There's no real obvious candidate for that position behind them.

While Conor McLaughlin is not a regular, as it stands he is the primary cover for both Luke O'Nien at right wing-back, and Jordan Willis on the right side of the back three.

Of course, Brandon Taylor in the U23 side is well thought of but without Feeney, there isn't a huge amount of cover.

So the postponement does make sense, I think, even if it's always frustrating when we want to get on with the season and see Sunderland really build some promotion momentum.

Who is Sunderland's first-choice striker and who will start against Charlton Athletic?

It's of the interesting conundrums from the early games of the season.

We've seen each striker get one game and so far, I don't think you could necessarily say any of them have massively taken their chance.

I felt for Will Grigg on opening day. He'd had a good pre-season but wasn't given much service against Bristol Rovers and was taken off when he'd not really had much of a run at it.

I still think he could be a difference maker over the course of the season and I hope this isn't the start of another. long exile from the team.

More generally, it's an interesting debate because while Sunderland have been productive enough so far in terms of chances created and shots taken, they just aren't making it happen for their strikers.

To underline that, note that just none of their 52 shots this season have come from Wyke, Graham or Grigg.

Parkinson has made clear that he'll rotate this season.

He picked Graham against Oxford as he wanted his experience and physicality to go up against a young defence, while Wyke was picked to face Peterborough United as he was seen as the most effective presser against a side who play out from the back.

In the long run, I do feel as if Graham has been brought in to be the main striker, but he's clearly still building up his match fitness.

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