As Sunderland see striker bid rejected, one thing must be kept in mind: View

Sunderland’s failed bid for Sevilla striker Musa Drammeh may be a blessing in disguise, as the club need a proven goal scorer for the season ahead.

Musa Drammeh, a striker for Sevilla, was not accepted by Sunderland, but it might be a good thing that the young player went unsigned.

This season, the internation from Gambia has made an impression for Sevilla’s B squad, with two assists and five goals in fifteen games in the Segunda Division, the fourth tier of Spanish football.

Both Gambian and Spanish by nationality, Drammeh was being pursued by Sunderland before to the hiring of new manager Michael Beale. The 22-year-old was the subject of a recent transfer offer from Sunderland, but it was turned down.

Sunderland is searching for a new striker to help lead them up the table after hiring the former QPR manager, but Sevilla might not be the best spot for them to locate their new number nine.

Sunderland’s strikers have struggled to find the net this season

This season, Sunderland has not struggled with goals, but their youthful strike force has not been the cause.

Although Nazariy Rusyn, Luis Semedo, and Eliezer Mayenda are three of their gifted center strikers, none of the young players have scored in the league this year.

Mason Burstow of Chelsea also signed a summer loan, but he has only played 552 minutes this year without scoring a goal.

Rather, the youthful winger Jack Clarke, who has already scored ten goals this season, has been the main source of goals.

This season, he has been among the best performers in the Championship; Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil have also made an impact, each with two goals.

The reason Sunderland’s strikers haven’t scored many goals this season could be due to their inexperience in front of goal, given that their attackers are only 25, 20, and 18 years old, respectively.

Even if Drammeh might be a fantastic player in the future, Sunderland needs a proven scorer right now. If they want to earn promotion back to the Premier League in January, they might not have the money to risk a trade for an unknown player.

A proven goalscorer should be Sunderland’s focus in the January transfer window

If they want to earn their place in the play-off places this season, Sunderland will need to invest in an experienced player who knows how to put the ball in the back of the net.

Ross Stewart, who played for the Scotland international and helped the Wearside club to a sixth-place Championship finish last season despite missing much of the previous campaign due to injury, signed a contract with Southampton in the summer.

Because of this form, Southampton reportedly paid £8 million for the striker, providing Sunderland with a sizable budget to replace him.

They made good investments in players like Jobe Bellingham and Nazariy Rusyn, but they haven’t been able to replicate Stewart’s remarkable production when he’s healthy.

When it comes to goal scoring, Sunderland is a middle-of-the-pack team. However, if they hope to improve on their play-off semi-final loss to Luton Town in 2017 and make it back to the Premier League, they will need a striker who can score frequently.

Chairman of Sunderland Kyril Louis-Dreyfus need to give Michael Beale part of the Ross Stewart money so he can bolster his team, though it’s unclear if the new manager can get his young strikers firing for the first time this season.