Tony Mowbray drops interesting Sunderland transfer hint for fans and issues Isaac Lihadji update

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray says he is optimistic that the club will add attacking reinforcements in the near future, though he will be taking the same squad into the Championship opener against Ipswich Town.

Mowbray confirmed earlier this week that the club had bids in for strikers and though there has not yet been a breakthrough, the head coach is confident that will happen at some stage.

Sunderland are likely to try and make two attacking additions, with Isaac Lijadhi expected to depart the club in the near future.

Mowbray confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Lihadji is not on Wearside training with the senior group, and is therefore not in contention for this weekend's game. Lihadji has been linked with a move to Qatar this summer and was withdrawn from Tuesday night's game against Hartlepool United as talks advanced.

Bradley Dack is expected to make his debut against Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday and Mowbray is confident that he can go some way to helping replace Amad in time, but he feels more depth is needed and he expects it to arrive before long.

“We still need some attacking options," Mowbray said.

"Semedo [Hemir] has scored some good goals this pre-season, he’s got himself into some good positions and headed in a couple of good goals, but he is a young boy.

"I don’t think we can hang our hat on him for 46 games, we need some reinforcements at the top end of the pitch, and I am pretty sure that they are coming. Hopefully, they’ll be players where the fans go, ‘Wow, that is great’.

“We need to add a couple more players, and we will be trying to do that, not by Sunday, by definitely by the end of this month. By the time the window closes, we need to, and I’m pretty sure we will, have some new additions to help the current squad."

Mowbray was asked whether he expected the club to go after more experienced operators at the top end of the pitch, given the youthful makeup of his current squad.

While the new additions are expected to be more experienced than some recent signings, Mowbray expects the club to stick to their model of trying to unearth talent from undervalued leagues.

"They're likely to be names you'd have to follow world football to know, I would suggest to you," Mowbray said.

"I think they'll probably be a little more experienced, they're not going to be kids who've never played men's football before. They'll be footballers who are very talented, just on the cusp of their international teams, playing in a league that we think we can go to and take their best players. We don't pay the very top dollar in this division but we feel we can find really talented players and give them that exposure, and then we can have a real footballer on our hands.

"It's not about getting household names because they already have that reputation and they can earn beyond what we pay. The idea is to get these players and turn them into household names over a year or two."

Sunderland could also sign a new midfielder after Jay Matete suffered a knee injury in pre-season.