£16.8m striker signs alongside 98-goal attacker - Sunderland's dream squad if transfer rumours are true

Sunderland have been linked with several deals in recent weeks as time ticks down in the January transfer window....

Régis Le Bris says the form of Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda means that Sunderland can afford to be flexible in their pursuit of a high-quality forward player before the end of the January transfer window.

The Black Cats remain keen on adding a new forward to their squad, having missed on Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon, both of whom have joined Sheffield United. While Sunderland’s search has continued Isidor and Mayenda have both continued to impress, with the latter emerging as a consistent contender for regular minutes.

Le Bris says that has made the need for a new striker less urgent than once appeared, though the club are determined to add more depth and competition. The Sunderland head coach says the most important thing is that any new arrival adds ace and speed in behind the opposition defence.

While that may still mean the addition of an orthodox striker, Le Bris says the club now have the luxury of considering more versatile players.

“For sure, this is clear now [a new striker is not as vital as it once was],” he said. “Probably we still need some more vertical threats, players who could run in behind. This could be a striker but also a winger, maybe a versatile player. So this is still very much in our mind, but we will see what comes in these next weeks. But it is not necessarily about a number nine.”

With that in mind and for a little bit of fun, we take a look at how Le Bris’ starting XI and subs bench if the recent transfer rumours turn out to be true: