Dear Roker Report,
I wanted to share two transfer suggestions that, in my opinion, could completely change Sunderland’s attacking options this season.
The first priority has to be Geny Catamo. Sunderland still haven’t completed the deal, and I really hope the club keeps pushing because he looks like exactly the type of winger we need – direct,
quick, technically strong and capable of beating defenders 1v1. He would give us a genuine threat from the right side and add something different to the current squad. For me, this should remain one of the club’s biggest priorities before the window closes.
If Catamo can be completed, I think the next attacking target should be Amine Gouiri from Marseille.
Gouiri would give Sunderland a profile we simply don’t have at the moment. Brobbey gives us strength, physicality and hold-up play, while Isidor offers movement and runs in behind. Gouiri is completely different – a technical false nine who likes to drop between the lines, receive the ball deeper, turn, combine with midfielders and create space for the wide players to attack.
That is exactly why I think he would be such a good addition. When Gouiri drops deeper, he can pull a centre-back or defensive midfielder out of position and open spaces behind the defence. It would give Sunderland another tactical dimension, especially against teams that defend deep.
He also appears to be a much more realistic option than some of the more expensive strikers on the market. If Marseille are open to selling, this could be a very smart opportunity for Sunderland.
For me, Catamo should be the priority first, and after that, Gouiri would be the ideal player to give us a completely different option to Brobbey and Isidor, rather than simply signing another striker with a similar profile.
I really hope the recruitment team are considering this type of player.
Ha’way the Lads!
Michael
Ed’s Note [Gav]: I can’t say that I know an awful lot about either of these players, but Catamo’s name has been going round as a potential signing for a few weeks now. It looks like we’ve tried to engage with Sporting over talks to see if they’d be willing to part with him, and by all accounts his release clause is €60m. That is, of course, an enormous amount of money, and for Sunderland to part with it he’d have to be a serious player capable of pushing us to the next level. Let’s wait and see where that one goes!
I do think that it’s someone of that quality, the type of player who commands that sort of fee, that would really help to move the needle and push Sunderland even further forward in the next year or two. You can see why we’ve taken our time in pre-season because we’re looking at very specific players that meet our needs, and after seeing Catamo’s assist the other day for Sporting, you can see why we might be interested!
Dear Roker Report,
I got it completely wrong last pre-season, as I was moaning about the lack of transfer activity, and we all know what happened then. However, this season is a different beast altogether.
Teams have had a whole season to work out our style of play, and we are also involved in Europe. We obviously want to go as far as we are able in our European adventure, but there is no doubt whatsoever that we need a further three or four players to help us achieve that ambition and to keep that trapdoor back to the Championship firmly closed.
Nothing seems imminent on the transfer front, despite lots of rumours and whispers. RLB, as brilliant as he is, is not a magician, and he needs time to blend new players into the squad and his way of playing.
We simply must recruit, and recruit in the next two weeks.
I am all for hanging off for inflated prices to drop, and I am aware that we need a certain type of player for the club, but if nothing happens very soon, I can see the likes of Xhaka kicking off about the depth of the squad, and he is extremely influential amongst the players.
Let’s please not allow complacency and blind faith to cover over the cracks that are obviously here.
I am also fully aware of the likes of Rigg coming into his own and a lot of long-term injured players coming back, but we need more quality regardless.
Let’s get moving, please.
Peter Milton
Ed’s Note [Gav]: Hey Peter – I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here as you submitted this letter before the Methalie deal got over the line, so I imagine you might have altered your stance slightly since!
Regardless, I think the Methalie deal has been a bit of a lesson in why it’s important to be patient. We as fans have absolutely zero insight into what’s actually going on, and I think the best policy is to wait and see when it comes to what deals we do. We might only sign two or three more players, but they’ll be good ones and exactly the type and character of player that we need in the squad.
It’s pointless panicking and being scattergun in our approach.
