Sunderland To Make Swoop For West Bromwich Albion Transfer Target
Sunderland will dip into the transfer market this summer to sign a new centre-forward and have identified a striker who was previously targeted by West Bromwich Albion in January.
The Black Cats had a season to forget, having failed to build on last season’s play-off semi-final finish in which they missed out on a trip to Wembley following a 3-2 defeat on aggregate to Luton Town, who eventually earned promotion to the Premier League by beating Coventry City in the final.
Tony Mowbray, who guided the club to a top-six finish in 2022/23, lost his job just before Christmas and his replacement, Michael Beale, fared no better. Beale was relieved from his duties after merely 12 matches and Mike Dodds took the reins for the remainder of the campaign. Unfortunately, Sunderland managed to pick up merely two victories in their final 13 matches, eventually finishing in 16th place, seven points above the relegation zone.
While the team’s form fluctuated, one constant issue remained: the side desperately needed a prolific centre-forward. Winger Jack Clarke ended the season as the Black Cats’ top goalscorer in all competitions, bagging 15 goals. The second-highest goalscorer at the club, Jobe Bellingham, netted merely seven times.
The striker with the most goals at the Stadium of Light over the course of the 2023/24 campaign was Nazariy Rusyn, who only scored twice. Having been linked with the likes of Kieffer Moore and Ali Al-Hamadi in January, Sunderland failed to sign a number ‘9’ midway through the season and results quickly nose-dived.
The board understands that acquiring a frontman this summer is of paramount importance in order to make a push for promotion next season. Football Insider are reporting that the Sunderland board have set their sights on West Ham United youngster Divin Mubama, who is set to leave the Hammers next month as a result of an expiring contract.
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