Sunderland face this deadline if Rangers winger Jordan Jones is to make debut against Gillingham

The Black Cats will be back at the Stadium of Light as they face Steve Evans' side looking to build on their midweek win at Ipswich.

The game will be the Black Cats' third of the week as they look to build on back-to-back triumphs for the first time in Johnson's reign.

And while the focus is on preparing for that game, the Sunderland head coach is also keeping an eye on the transfer market given he is keen to strengthen his ranks even further before the window closes on February 1.

A number of players have been linked with the Black Cats this month - and Rangers winger Jordan Jones is thought to be close to agreeing a loan move to Wearside.

But if the Black Cats want the wideman to be available for the league clash with Gillingham, they will have to ensure that all the necessary paperwork is lodged with the EFL no later than Noon on Friday, January 29 – for this is the registration deadline for players to be eligible for Saturday’s games.

Deals can be announced after Noon but the paperwork would need to be in by then.

Should any potential signing not be registered in time, then they could play against MK Dons in the knockout stage of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, February 2.

When asked about his aims for the rest of the window, Johnson said: "I am confident we will get at least one in, hopefully two and ideally three.

“I think the more we move towards the twos and threes there will have to be movement.

“But we are on it and the boys are doing a great job behind the scenes, we have all been looking extensively into the type of personality and players we want to bring in.

“We have had to do it this window generally with our own knowledge and contacts without the in-depth recruitment department currently in the club.

“There has been some excellent names on the list, some fall away, some are still there and those are the ones we are trying to attack now."

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