CENTRAL ROLE FOR WATMORE?
WITH THE TRANSFER WINDOW NOW CLOSED, WHAT OPTIONS DOES BOSS SIMON GRAYSON NOW HAVE?
It was a deadline day that saw two departures, and three arrivals.
Some questions answered about Simon Grayson’s squad and the season ahead, though many remain. The Black Cats boss has operated well on a shoestring budget, but his squad has obvious deficiencies.
So how can he solve them?
Where will Watmore play?
Sunderland will have to be cautious with a youngster recovering from his first serious injury, but Watmore’s first team return should only be a matter of weeks away.
Having missed out on Max Gradel, his pace and workrate look like they will be an absolutely crucial component if Grayson is to be successful.
The failure to land a striker, however, and the arrival of Callum McManaman from West Brom, raises the prospect of Watmore getting what many fans hope for him: an extended run as a central striker.
His speed will stretch defences and although his finishing is a work in progress, Sunderland’s obvious shortcomings means this is likely to be a gamble worth taking. Lewis Grabban, in particular, could really benefit from the space left by Watmore pushing defences closer to their own goal.
Time to move away from two up front?
Marc Wilson’s arrival gives Sunderland an experienced centre-back and crucially, the option of a midfield anchor.
Didier Ndong and Lee Cattermole offer superb energy and pressing, but Sunderland were left exposed on the counter-attack at Oakwell.
They also struggled for much of the game at Hillsborough and left too much space in front of their back line in the latter stages. Wilson playing in that role, likely at the expense of James Vaughan, would give Sunderland added security and allow the likes of Aiden McGeady more space and security to hurt the opposition.
Alternatively, Jonny Williams could play in place of Wilson and offer Grayson a genuine number ten option in a 4-2-3-1. They’re two systems seen regularly in pre-season and it would be no surprise to see them again.
How fit are the new arrivals?
None of the new arrivals have played this season. Williams has not played a league game since December 2016.
All three give Grayson the variety he needs to change games but when they will be ready to make a serious impact on the season remains to be seen.
With Watmore and McNair still a while away from full match fitness, Grayson’s squad may be more of the same for a little while yet.
After two poor defeats the Black Cats cannot afford to lose much more momentum and Grayson will have to coax better performances from some of his current XI.
Is there enough defensive leadership?
One of the biggest surprises of the transfer window was the lack of interest in Lamine Kone, meaning Sunderland’s
defence has changed nowhere near as dramatically as might have been expected.
Kone and Browning have formed a formidable partnership and put in some superb, resilient displays, but there remains an obvious habit throughout the team of collapsing in games after conceding.
Keeping Kone is an obvi- ous plus point but in the absence of John O’Shea, there are question marks over the communication and leadership in the back line.
Grayson will be hoping that Robbin Ruiter’s difficult debut at Oakwell will be an exception, and the Dutchman can return to the authoritative figure seen in pre-season.