RANKED: What positions should be Sunderland's transfer priorities in January?

Sunderland have said they will target 'specific positions' in January, but which positions should they be?

As Sunderland found out last year, the January transfer window can really make a massive difference in a club’s fortunes.

Would Sunderland have been promoted from League One without the contributions of Danny Batth, Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts? It’s hard to imagine that they would.

The time is nearly upon us too. You know how it goes… no sooner has Big Ben stopped chiming that someone, usually me, tweets something like ‘come on Sunderland, hurry up and make some signings’ in a very poorly judged attempt at wit. It is inevitable.

Sunderland have been very clear that they are not expecting a busy month in terms of incomings. Kristjaan Speakman has said it, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has said it and Tony Mowbray has said it.

What, though, should be Sunderland’s biggest priorities in terms of January strengthening? Let’s go through it position by position.

Goalkeeper

It’s actually quite difficult to judge the Sunderland goalkeeping situation because we don’t know an awful lot about number two Alex Bass.

Bass has played just once this season, in the Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. He neither shone nor struggled, so how can we possibly know how he would do if anything happened to Anthony Patterson?

He will surely get another chance in the FA Cup game at Shrewsbury, but even then he will remain something of a mystery.

Perhaps a more recognised goalkeeper as a number two to Patterson would be more ideal, but how do you get one of those if you’re Kristjaan Speakman? Established goalkeepers are unlikely to come to the Championship to sit on the bench, and Premier League clubs won’t loan out young talent to do the same.

In an ideal world, Sunderland could do with adding some quality depth in January, but I’m not sure that’s really realistic.

Priority level: Medium

Full-backs

If there is anything that Sunderland specifically don’t need in January, it’s more full-backs. In fact, you could probably say they could do with letting one go out on loan.

Sunderland currently have two full-backs on either side – Lynden Gooch and Trai Hume for the right and Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese for the left – and another, Niall Huggins, who can comfortably cover both.

That’s a good crop of players and they are all at a good age too. There will obviously be injuries along the way, as we are seeing now with Gooch, Cirkin and Alese all likely to be injured for the trip to Wigan at least, but that should still leave Hume and Huggins to slot in.

Luke O’Nien could cover as well, and Jack Clarke excelled as a left-wing-back earlier in the season.

The position should not be a priority at all in January.

Priority level: Low

Central defenders

Sunderland look pretty stacked when it comes to central defenders too. In fact, it’s looking like a really strong area.

Danny Batth has been brilliant all season, yet even that may not be enough to displace Dan Ballard and Luke O’Nien when he returns from his minor calf problem.

Aji Alese can slot in at centre-back too, in fact it is probably his favoured position, and no one should be underestimating Bailey Wright either.

If a Ballard-style deal was there, you’d expect Sunderland to do it, although it would probably also mean trying to move Wright on during the month as well.

However, if Sunderland end January with the same central defenders as they have now, I doubt many would be complaining.

Priority level: Low

Central midfielders

Central midfield is one of two areas you can look at with Sunderland and think it maybe needs a little more.

It’s not that there is a lack of quality in there, though. It’s really more a variation thing.

You look at the current crop of central midfielders and you see good ball manipulators in the main. Players like Dan Neil, Abdoullah Ba, Edouard Michut and Corry Evans. They are clever footballers and comfortable on the ball, and you’ll generally be happy to see any combination of them on the team sheet.

What they all do lack, though, is some raw physicality and power. It’s not something that would be needed every week, but it is something that is missing from Tony Mowbray’s toolbox.

Jay Matete is the closest thing Sunderland currently have, and Mowbray doesn’t seem to fancy him. Maybe it’s best that he leaves on loan to get some football and a more polished version comes in to replace him.

Priority level: Medium

Attacking midfielders

Tony Mowbray certainly seems to like playing with a player in what now seems universally known as ‘the number ten position,’ and the Sunderland squad feels well-equipped to allow him to do that.

Alex Pritchard seems to be the go-to guy there and Elliot Embleton was the understudy. Of course, Embleton now may not play again this season, so that does muddy things slightly.

However, Amad Diallo and Patrick Roberts offer alternatives there, and Edouard Michut is an unexplored option too.

Mowbray has spoken before about perhaps playing Michut further forward to help him adjust to the physicality of the Championship, so don’t be surprised to see him in that role during the second half of the campaign.

If something unexpected happens, like Pritchard leaves or Amad is recalled, then Sunderland will need to address this position in January. As things stand, though, it doesn’t look like it will be a priority.

Priority level: Low

Wide players

Again, the injury to Elliot Embleton has reduced the options for Sunderland a little in wide positions, but it’s far from a concern.

After all, Jewison Bennette can barely get a game at the moment, and Patrick Roberts has been on the bench for much of the season, so there is already depth there.

There is still the Leon Dajaku option as well, although you do wonder for how much longer Sunderland will persist with that one.

Either way, Sunderland look absolutely fine for wide players going into January.

Priority level: Low

Strikers

Sunderland went into the season with just two strikers, and that gamble immediately backfired with both of them getting injured.

That crisis was negotiated impressively by Tony Mowbray, but it would be nice to get another striker in the squad to offer just a little more depth.

The question is how to do that, though. It’s a similar situation to the goalkeeper one really in that experienced players won’t want to join to be backup and no one will want to loan Sunderland young players they are only going to use intermittently.

It could be that a Jewison Bennette-style option can be found – a young player to sign permanently who won’t be expecting to play immediately but has something to offer when needed.

However they do it, it’s pretty clear that a striker should be Sunderland’s top January priority.

Priority level: High

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