Ian Bendelow says…
There is always room for a high level, proven centre forward.
Who wouldn’t want one of them to add to their ranks? And if an experienced striker who has scored lots of goals at a decent level wants to come, then please, come in.
They could help develop Mayenda in particular, but also Guiu, even though he belongs to Chelsea. Of course, the issue here is that this type of player will come at a considerable cost.
What Sunderland don’t need is another young, raw, unproven striker who comes in either on loan
or permanently – unless they are a huge prospect.
There are two reasons for this: Firstly, there’s a real risk of them being sat on the bench or not in the squad the entire campaign, therefore harming their development and our reputation as a club that looks after players it borrows. Secondly, we don’t need anyone blocking the pathway of Mayenda, who, in my opinion, could become a very good striker at this level. But that depends on him getting minutes.
Nic Wiseman says…
The fact that all three goalscorers in Saturday’s thumping of West Ham were at the club last season is a huge vindication of the way the club had developed its younger players. The need for a striker hasn’t changed in my mind after that result. That’s not to say I don’t trust Wilson Isidor or Eliezer Mayenda. It’s just that we need strength in depth.
The club clearly has faith in the two of them. We have Marc Guiu waiting to make his debut, too. However, we are short on resources – unless we rely on Hemir, which I would be a bit nervous doing so, to be honest.
So yes, I would still look out for more firepower, because if one or more of our triumvirate gets injured, we’d be in for a sticky time – and we haven’t even seen whether Guiu will work yet.
I don’t think you can ever have too much up front.
Ciaran McKenna says…
I still think we could do with a more experienced and proven centre forward in our squad.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Mayenda and Isidor wholeheartedly, and I was over the moon to see them on the scoresheet against West Ham, but another striker who brings in a guaranteed bag of goals will benefit the squad.
Ultimately, we need points, and goals are how we get those points. I don’t think we can risk going into the rest of the season with just the three we have at the moment. Whether we sign an out-and-out striker or a versatile forward who can play across the front three, I do believe we could do with another attacking option.
Saying that, I would be ecstatic to be proven wrong. If we don’t sign another forward and Elizier, Wilson, and Marc provide the goals we need to get over the line come next May, that would make me much happier than spending more money on a striker and not developing the lads already at the club.
Anthony Gair says…
I thought Mayenda and Isidor were already well-suited to Premier League football, as opposed to the attritional Championship.
I’ve been excited to see Mayenda more. With his explosive pace and his ability with the ball, he will be fine in the Premier League – so much so that I think we’ll struggle to keep hold of him eventually.
Isidor, however, has the incisive touches of someone who can beat a defender with a flick or also use his pure, raw pace to beat defensive lines. I honestly think we’ll be fine up top.
With Burnley at the weekend, I think they’d kill for any of our attacking options, to be honest!
I was more worried about the defence and the goalkeeper when the transfer window started.
John Wilson says…
This is an interesting one – and I caveat my answer with the usual ‘I trust whatever the club think we need’!
Prior to the West Ham game, I already thought we had enough cover up front. I knew Isidor and Mayenda would step up, and I assume the hierarchy has already seen something in Guiu that covers a base. So the question is – how many players do you want for any given position?
The same predicament is also happening at centre half, and in the defence in general. Two players battling for a start is obvious. Three into one? Luxury. But four players challenging for one spot might be over the top.
How will the coach keep everyone happy? I’m well aware that we need someone to bag some goals this season, someone with a killer instinct. Football is a game of moments – that split second that can turn a match. A lethal striker is worth their weight in gold.
That being said, who wants to be part of a squad with four contenders for one position? It’s a fine balancing act.
I, for one, am quite happy with what we have – assuming Guiu is of a good standard.
Malc Dugdale says…
I’d welcome even more competition up front, but it is a massive plus that both our strikers from last season are already off the mark.
There are no guarantees with Guiu, and if we lose either Eli or Wilson to injury, we will be short. It’s also fair to say the Chelsea loanee may not work out for us. I had some half-decent feedback on his Chelsea predecessor, and he didn’t work out. This lad is young and a bright talent, so Chelsea didn’t include a buy clause, but he may not be ready for the Premier League just now, in our side or any other.
I trust the gaffer to manage the squad and to find ways to encourage competition and use all our assets, so aye, I’d take another front man. It will be a long season and a trying one at times, and once the window is shut, we are locked and loaded for four months plus. Why not?
