Attention is also turning to a vitally important January window, as Sunderland look to cement their play-off place under new head coach Michael Beale. It has been an unusual first half of the campaign, with the Black Cats doing well to maintain their form despite the loss of Amad and Ross Stewart. And yet there has also been an inconsistency that has led to some bitterly disappointing results and big missed opportunities.
The underlying data suggests Sunderland are one of the strongest teams in the division, and yet they haven’t always found it easy to turn that into results and particularly against struggling sides. So how do the decisions taken by the club and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman now stand up to scrutiny? And what does it tell us about what as to happen next? We take a closer look, deal by deal...
21. DANNY BATTH (OUT, NORWICH CITY)
A very hard one to judge. Some fans are still unconvinced by Luke O'Nien's conversion but he and Ballard have undoubtedly formed a solid partnership that has helped Sunderland control games in possession, their main issue being when they get to the final third. Early in the season it felt as if the club had left themselves far too light in central defence, but now there would be few concerns were Seelt to step in. Batth, meanwhile, hasn't really been able to hold down a place in the Norwich City side. Still - it feels as if Sunderland have been a little light on experience this season and the inconsistency of their results and performances probably reflects that. 5.5/10 Photo: Frank Reid
22. SO - WHAT TO MAKE OF IT ALL?I
It's true both that Sunderland are having a very solid campaign, which always reflects well on a summer window, and also that few of those summer additions are at this stage key players in the side. Part of that is expected, given that Sunderland are trying to target young players who will need time to adjust and who can acclimatise before settling into the place in the XI somewhere further down the line. Generally, they've also had considerably more success in targeting Premier League academies than other leagues and that trend has broadly continued, with notable exceptions. It's also true that while Sunderland have added some exciting talent in the final third, they have as of yet not been able to solve their biggest issue of the last twelve months: a lack of killer instinct in the absence of Amad. That, clearly, remains the main priority in the January window. Photo: FRANK REID 2020