The Sunderland youngster who will be hoping for the chance to 'add another club' to Lee Johnson's bag

In joining Hearts, Armand Gnanduillet has joined a historic club and one who in all likelihood will be playing the top tier of Scottish football by the end of the calendar year.

A good move for the player, and a superb move for the club.

Yet it's hard not to reflect on the fact that ordinarily, both last summer (when Gnanduillet moved to Altay in Turkey) and in this window, this was a striker who would ordinarily have been at the top of recruitment lists for third tier sides with serious designs on promotion.

32 goals in two seasons is a strong return and over above that, his style and game was one clearly suited to the demands of the division.

He was certainly of interest to the Black Cats, alongside the likes of Scott Fraser and Luke Garbutt.

The introduction of the salary cap rules transformed the picture for clubs operating in the upper reaches of the £2.5 million limit, of which Sunderland were one.

Gnanduillet may, of course, have opted for both of his most recent moves regardless.

His path nevertheless feels like one of the first and most obvious examples of how the cap will in the long term level the playing field in the third tier, and also serves to underline the challenges in recruiting this month.

Long-term failures have left the Black Cats in the unenviable position of again trying to recruit a striker in a January window.

Charlie Wyke's record this season has been excellent, and he is more than worthy of his place leading the line.

Beyond that, though, Sunderland are lacking depth (at least in terms of form) and that they have failed to adequately replace Josh Maja two years on from his departure threatens to put their promotion ambitions in jeopardy for a third campaign in succession.

It's not merely an issue of goals. Lee Johnson has described his search in the final week of the window as an attempt to ensure 'he has every club in the bag'.

What he means is that the search for another striker is primarily about variety and finding different attributes. Jack Diamond's form on the right wing has underlined the benefits not just of pace but the impact of being able to stretch the opposition back four on a regular basis.

Johnson wants depth on that front and so he is looking for a forward who has the capacity to make those runs in behind over and over again for 90 minutes.

He has already stated what fans are long used to, that this is the hardest task in the game. Forwards are the prized assets in these windows and so landing one invariably comes at a cost.

Johnson has already accepted that there will be no significant fees spent on individual positions by Sunderland in this window.

One option is to free some room up under the cap, most likely by finding a suitor for either Will Grigg or Danny Graham.

There will without doubt be interest in the former, but the key is in striking a deal that creates enough funds for Johnson to make a material difference to the squad with the player he brings in.

A loan feels like the most likely option at this stage and it is imperative the Black Cats deliver if Johnson is going to marry long-term improvements with a short-term uptick in results.

Beyond the transfer market, one interesting plotline to keep an eye out for next month is whether Benji Kimpioka can force himself into the reckoning alongside any new addition.

That the Swedish youngster has raw edges to his game needs not repeating, it has been evident in both his performances and the comments that have come from both of the previous managers.

Both, though, saw enough raw promise in the 20-year-old to push for him to stay at the club even when at times it felt as if his contractual situation would never be resolved.

Kimpioka paid the penalty for that, arriving for the current campaign late and falling down the pecking order as a result.

In signing that deal he nevertheless wiped the slate clean and from there, he did the only thing he could. Before suffering a serious hamstring injury his form for the U23 side was excellent, scoring goals and contributing to a long overdue improvement in results.

Johnson has already said that in searching for new options up front, he is relaxed if finding that pace means he has to take risks with an unproven talent.

With Diamond, he has proven to be as good as his word and as Kimpioka nears a return to fitness (the initial assessment was that a February return was likely), the incentive is clear even if the competition will be strong.

Johnson is weighing up using Lynden Gooch in that second striker role, as he has the ability to stretch the game while also having the ability to link up well with the midfield.

Aiden O'Brien is showing signs of improvement, but the fixture schedule is intense and along the way, injuries are inevitable. Mitch Curry, too, is worth noting given the impact he has had at U23 level this season, with the COVID-19 outbreak before the 1-1 draw with AFC Wimbledon handing him an unexpected chance to make an impression on Johnson.

Kimpioka is one of a number of players whose contract is up in the summer and at some stage soon he needs to make a genuine step towards regular senior football.

The unfortunate timing of that hamstring issue leaves with him an uphill battle to make a substantive contribution to this season, but when you listen to Johnson outline what he needs, it's hard not to think he may have a chance yet.

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