'Probably shows...' - Marco Gabbiadini issues verdict on mooted Sunderland free agent swoop
Sunderland are being linked with a move for unattached forward Aaron Connolly
Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini has claimed that the Black Cats’ anticipated swoop for free agent striker Aaron Connolly is a likely indicator that they failed to wrap up all of their intended business during the summer transfer window.
News broke of the club’s interest in the Republic of Ireland centre forward on Monday, with the understanding being that both parties are now in advanced talks over an agreement that would bring Connolly to Wearside. The 24-year-old has been without a team since leaving Hull City at the end of last season.
Over the course of the 2023/24 campaign, the striker netted eight goals in 28 appearances for the Tigers - albeit with just 13 starts during that time - and Gabbiadini is of the opinion that his arrival could prove to be a positive for Regis Le Bris’ squad, even if it is something of a Plan B.
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Speaking on Total Sport, the ex-Black Cats favourite said: “He scored more goals than all the strikers that have played in the last year-and-a-half put together, hasn’t he?
“It probably shows you that things didn’t quite fully go to plan in the transfer window. There’s a mixture of players come in who we don’t know too much about yet, and he can probably add to that list in a way. But if he scored eight goals last season, that doesn’t sound too bad a return if he was only starting 13 games… It adds another dynamic to what is usually an area of the pitch where you do like to have some options.”
Connolly started his career at Brighton and Hove Albion, scoring eight goals in 52 outings for the Seagulls in all competitions and undergoing a number of loan spells before leaving the south coast on a permanent basis last summer.
Upon joining Hull, the forward gave a frank appraisal of his own trajectory to date, saying: “It’s a massive point in my career. I’m 23 next week, being 19 feels like a long time ago when I was playing in the Premier League [with Brighton] regularly. That’s down to me and that’s stuff I’ve not been professional enough about.
“That mindset has completely flipped and if I can take anything positive from that Italy move [Connolly spent time on loan with Venezia], it’s that side of the game off the pitch, I had to get used to a different environment and just work. There was a lot of running in Italy but I’m starting to enjoy that bit of it as well, the professional side. I felt like I put in a decent shift for the team and hopefully if I can get sharper and a little bit more match fit, I can help the club out.”