ROSS FINALLY GETS HIS MAN
At one stage Jack Ross did not think he would get his proven striker.
Sunderland had found their pursuit difficult and Ross, happy to have brought in Kazaiah Sterling from Spurs, was preparing to push on with what he had.
As it was, in the dying embers of the winter window, Stewart Donald made Wigan Athletic an offer for Will Grigg ‘they couldn’t refuse’.
A month-long chase finally reaching a positive conclusion for the Black Cats.
It is unquestionably an expensive deal, potentially rising to £4million, but the bottom line for Ross at least is that he has a player who can be relied on to match Josh Maja’s remarkable contributions in the early part of the season.
“Will Grigg is one of the very few who could have filled that void at this moment in time,” said the Black Cats boss.
“So, when you lose your top scorer, so late in the window, and you didn’t necessarily know [for sure] that you’re going to lose him, you’re playing catch-up to a degree.
“I work quite logically, through certain criteria.
“Working through that process, you’re looking at a player who has probably had one of, if not the best, goalsper-game ratios in this league in recent seasons.
“So that makes him a very obvious player to identify.
“Then you have to weigh up, is he available?
“He kind of was, then wasn’t, then was.
“That’s why he was the clear, biggest target for us, he ticked every box in that sense.”
Grigg’s arrival changes the dynamic of Sunderland’s January window.
It has been a fraught month, dominated by the departure of Maja to Bordeaux after the young hotshot turned down the offer of a new contract and could have left for next to nothing in the summer.
That was a big blow for Ross and he has no intention of disguising that.
He hopes Grigg can compensate for that and believes that, by and large, it has been a good month in which real quality has been added to his options, with Grant Leadbitter, Lewis Morgan and Jimmy Dunne joining Grigg and fellow striker Sterling.
“It’s very hard to be dismissive of what Josh has given us this season,” Ross said.
“He’s scored that many goals. I’d point to the fact that, it would be like Doncaster losing John Marquis, Barnsley losing Kieffer Moore.
“You can’t dismiss that and you can’t replace that easily.
“But we’ve got the player in who, on paper, gives us the best chance of replicating that over the second half of the season.
“Then if you look at other areas of the pitch, I think we’ve brought in good players,” he added.
“We’ve not just filled the squad, we’ve already seen on the training pitch what we’ve got.
“Grant is a good player, Lewis is a good young player with a lot of potential.
“The other players have already seen that. I think they make their minds up very quickly and I think we’ve got good players.”
Ross also confirmed that Grigg is fit again after rolling his ankle earlier in the month.
That had initially raised fears that a deal would be in jeopardy but the Northern Ireland striker could be back in action as soon as next week, though he won’t be available for today’s game against Wimbledon at the Stadium of Light.
“As far as I’m aware he was actually scheduled to start training again with Wigan today [Friday],” Ross said.
“That’s what I’m led to believe.
“He’s unlikely to train with us and therefore be involved against AFC Wimbledon. But thereafter he should be fit and well.”