Sunderland offered chance to sign “elite” striker

Sunderland have turned the Stadium of Light into a fortress ever since promotion to the Premier League was clinched.

Regis Le Bris’ men do have their unbelievable home record to thank for their sixth-place position at the moment, with defeat yet to be tasted on Wearside from eight league contests.

Even Mikel Arteta’s table-topping Arsenal couldn’t get the better of the stern hosts back in November in a thrilling 2-2 draw, with Sunderland also gaining bragging rights over arch rivals Newcastle United on their own patch, recently, by confidently beating Eddie Howe’s perplexed visitors by a solitary goal.

Still, if the right opportunity opens up in the January transfer window, Le Bris and Co would surely explore the potential of some moves…

Sunderland offered chance to sign new striker

Sunderland’s squad will be stretched over the course of the next month or so, with the likes of Noah Sadiki and Reinildo out of action at the African Cup of Nations, meaning some fresh reinforcements could come in handy.

Amazingly, though, it’s not in central midfield or defence where the Black Cats could improve, with reports from Italy now suggesting that the Premier League newcomers might surprisingly swoop for AS Roma forward Artem Dobvyk, when the hectic window reopens.

A whole host of Premier League clubs are interested in the services of the Ukrainian, according to the report, with West Ham United alleged to be looking at the 28-year-old as a replacement for Niclas Fullkrug.

Moreover, Sunderland are judged to be in the race for the Roma number nine, too, with the Serie A club’s sporting director, Ricky Massara, offering Dobvyk to Le Bris and Co, owing to Sunderland’s current director of football in Florent Ghisolfi, previously being employed by the Italian titans.

Sunderland won’t just view this as a nice gesture between two old connections, however, with the 6-foot-2 marksman’s goalscoring prowess playing in Italy and beyond, making him stick out as an upgrade on both Wilson Isidor and Brian Brobbey.

How Dovbyk would be an upgrade on Isidor & Brobbey

While the Black Cats do sit pretty in sixth position in the Premier League standings at the moment, they aren’t always the most free-flowing team to take in.

Indeed, Sunderland have only put away a weak 19 goals in league action so far this season, with the likes of Manchester City – helped by the superhuman efforts of Erling Haaland – boasting a far superior 41 goals, just behind Arsenal at the very top of the division.

The Black Cats’ total is more in keeping with teams such as West Ham United and Burnley near the foot of the division, with both Isidor and Brobbey largely failing to be clinical so far this campaign as Sunderland’s main attacking sparks, as outlined in the table above.

The former Zenit St Petersburg attacker has now gone eight straight top-flight games without finding the back of the net, while his Dutch counterpart – for all his fight and endeavour against Newcastle – remains stuck on an equally weak two goals, having failed to register a single shot at Aaron Ramsdale’s net during the fierce Tyne-Wear Derby.

Dovbyk, on the other hand, has even been likened to Haaland for his explosive goalscoring exploits all across Europe, with a lethal 24 strikes coming his way on the books of Girona from just 39 games, on top of also helping himself to ten assists.

Adding this level of firepower to Sunderland’s attack could take the Black Cats to the next level, with Girona finishing in a dizzy third position in the La Liga rankings during the 2023/24 season, just two campaigns on from their own promotion, due to the 28-year-old’s “elite” finishing ability, as he was once hailed by European football expert Zach Lowy.

The La Liga golden boot winner has since chipped in with a weighty 19 goals in the Italian capital, with both Isidor and Brobbey surely unsure of their immediate Sunderland futures, if the Ukrainian powerhouse were to step foot onto English soil.

Even when he hasn’t been at his best this season, Dovbyk has still managed to collect three goal contributions from just three league starts, with Sunderland becoming a far more entertaining and brash prospect in the second half of the season, if the £19m target were to move to Wearside.

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