Sunderland AFC transfer Q&A: Striker search assessed plus the latest on possible outgoings

Sunderland have just over a week to conclude their transfer business for the summer, so what's the latest news from the Stadium of Light?

We take you through the key questions...

So - what’s happening with the striker search?

Sunderland’s summer search to reinforce their striking options has had a couple of key goals.

One is to ensure Mowbray has the options he needs to cover for Ross Stewart’s current absence with injury, and also to get talented options into the club for the future to try and prevent a repeat of these recent issues occurring in the future. That is particularly relevant when there remains uncertainty over Stewart’s longer-term future.

The investment in Hemir and Eliezer Mayende, is part of that second task.

Where they haven’t quite got over the line yet is in getting that more established option to lead the line for them regularly in the here and now.

The domestic market, particularly for permanent deals, has proved a major challenge given Sunderland’s strict budget and desire for resale value. That has led them to look abroad and while that may still yield a result between now and the end of the window, the urgency of the situation has seen them not turn to the loan market.

Mowbray expressed a hope last Thursday that a deal was close to being struck, and then did so again in his post-match press conference on Sunday afternoon. His hope, he said, was that he’d have had a few days working with the new player and would therefore have a choice to make as to whether he put them straight into the starting line up against Coventry City.

While Mowrbay said there were a few players still on the club’s radar, he confirmed that Fulham youngster Jay Stansfield was an option.

The deal has not yet materialised yet but there is at this stage still time for it to be done and for the player to be involved this weekend.

Mowbray has made clear that he feels it would be too risky to wait until the very end of the window and see what deals are available then, and his comments on Saturday suggested the club hierarchy had come to see it the same way. Supporters are waiting eagerly to see what the result of that is.

What other positions are Sunderland looking to recruit in?

Mowbray has been clear that as it stands, everything comes second to the search for striking reinforcements. 

So it is fair to surmise that nothing else is particularly close at this stage, though that could begin to change in the final week of the window if Sunderland are able to get their deal over the line.

Mowbray is on record in stating his desire for another central midfielder, with both Corry Evans and Jay Matete missing through injury and unlikely to return in the near future.

Chris Rigg’s concussion has underlined just how little depth there is while Matete and Evans are injured, with Mowbray currently an injury from Dan Neil or Pierre Ekwah away from having to rethink the balance of his side. 

The head coach would particularly like a midfielder with top-level experience, to bring a different dimension to the group.

Any incomings beyond that would likely be dependent on outgoings, as the squad is a fair size as things stand right now. 

One potential position Sunderland could look to strengthen is out wide, where Amad has never really been replaced and where his potential successor, Isaac Lihadji, has left the club after an offer that was too good for anyone to turn down arrived from Qatar.

Sunderland are keen to give Abdoullah Ba opportunities out wide but with Jewison Bennette struggling to break through, there is an argument that a bit of depth is lacking.

Reports from Costa Rica have suggested that Bennette is weighing up the possibility of going out on loan to get additional game time. 

How likely are the exits of Danny Batth, Lynden Gooch and Alex Pritchard at this stage?

Mowbray conceded last week that there is a good chance Alex Pritchard will leave, and that uncertainty appears to be one of the key reasons why he has not started any of the three Championship games so far, instead coming on as a substitute.

Pritchard’s potential destination is unknown at this stage and Mowbray will be able to talk more freely if the situation is resolved, but the summer arrivals of Bradley Dack and Jobe probably showed a club planning for life without him. 

What Mowbray has also made absolutely clear is that if Pritchard does stay, he will look to draw a line under it quickly and use his obvious talent and experience across the campaign.

That’s also the case with both Batth and Gooch, who have also not been in the team at the start of the season.

Sunderland will allow them to move on if they can find a deal that suits them elsewhere, but it has to be a deal that works for the club as well. So while Blackburn Rovers have held a strong interest in Batth for much of the summer, they did not put together a packed to move the deal on before the start of the summer. With head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson known to be very keen on adding experience to his squad before the end of the window and pushing hard for additions, that could yet change quickly.

QPR are known to hold a strong interest in Gooch, but similarly they will have to produce a deal that works for Sunderland to allow a proven, dependable player to leave for a Championship rival.

It would be a surprise if all three will still at the club by the end of the window, given the interest in them.