HUNT FOR STRIKER AT THE DOUBLE
Coleman pushing for deals as Vaughan joins Wigan
Sunderland will ramp up efforts to land two new strikers after James Vaughan joined Wigan Athletic as the January revamp gathers pace.
The Black Cats are without any senior strikers ahead of today’s Championship game at Cardiff City, with Vaughan following Lewis Grabban out the exit door.
The striker signed an 18-month deal at League One leaders Wigan for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £300,000.
Coleman is comfortable with the situation, with the Sunderland boss hopeful of two new additions up front soon as he shakes up his squad.
Burnley striker Jon Walters is one option.
Coleman refused to comment on the Republic of Ireland striker, but he did not rule out a loan move.
Coleman said: “I can’t comment on Jon and Burnley. He belongs to Sean [Dyche, Burnley manager].
“But we are looking for two strikers plus someone else in another position.
“That’s what we need to bring in to help us and that will make us better.
“We have young Josh Maja who did really well, but he is still playing catch-up.
“He has showed touches, he is a classy mover. I like him and young Joel Asoro.
“We can’t look at these young players and say they will play every week though, it is not fair on them.
“They have something to offer but we need more than that, we are working on it. We need two strikers in and we are pretty close on doing that. “It may take a few days.” Walters would add a much-needed presence to the frontline but the 34-yearold has only started one firstteam game for Burnley since his £3million summer move from Stoke City.
Young Liverpool forward Ben Woodburn, 18, remains a priority on loan, while another player linked with Sunderland is Derby County striker Chris Martin.
Rams boss Gary Rowett has confirmed that there is interest in him from Championship clubs.
“Clubs have asked about him – but I have had no firm offer for him,” said Rowett.
Sunderland’s need for reinforcements up front is the absolute priority, though Vaughan won’t be a huge loss. The striker scored just two goals since his £500,000 summer move from Bury.
Coleman added: “It is a cash deal and I don’t think it has worked out here [for Vaughan].
“We are bottom of the league – we have been here six months with this team.
“What is the point in keeping things the same?
“We have to change things. Simple as. It is an area we have to change. Whether we kept [Vaughan] or not, I still wanted two more in.”
Coleman is aiming to bring in four more players before the transfer window closes.
When asked how he was finding his first transfer window in six years, the former Wales boss joked: “Not good! I keep on checking my phone. I don’t like it – hate it!
“I would be super lucky if we get everything done before the last week of the window, brilliant.
“One or two it will definitely be worth waiting for, if we can do it. It is needs must.
“We can only have so many loan players for a game, we have to be careful of that. If we get this weekend out of the way and my phone starts ringing and it is a ‘yes’ then brilliant, let’s get on with it.
“In my experience, the transfer window is a long month. People panic in the final days and things start falling.”
Meanwhile, as revealed by the Echo, Everton could move to cut short Brendan Galloway’s season-long loan with the left-back struggling for game time at Sunderland.
Coleman added: “Brendan has been short of game time. He hasn’t been a moments problem and he wants to play. I think there will be a conversation.”