3 forwards Sunderland must consider signing as Lee Johnson drops transfer hint

Lee Johnson only became the new head coach of Sunderland yesterday, but he looks set to make changes to his squad once the January transfer window opens.

The former Bristol City boss took charge of his first match just hours after his appointment, as the Black Cats went down 1-0 to struggling Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light.

It won’t have been a performance that Johnson wanted to see from his new outfit, who looked pretty toothless in-front of goal.

And that’s an issue he’s already identified, as he revealed post-match that he’s looking to add ‘pace and power’ to his attack when he’s allowed to do so.

Johnson could of course delve into the free agents market, but with a takeover from Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus pending there may be funds available to spend at the beginning of 2021.

Sunderland still have to adhere to the League One salary cap though, so with that in mind let’s look at three attackers who Johnson could make a move for to bolster his squad.

Jack Clarke

Clarke came onto the scene as an exciting 17-year-old winger for Leeds in 2018, with Marcelo Bielsa giving him his big break in the first team.

He took it with both hands and finished the 18/19 campaign with 25 first-team appearances, which led to a £10million summer move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Clarke has only made two brief appearances for Spurs and didn’t get many games last season in two separate loan spells to Leeds and QPR, and he could do with going out on loan where he’s guaranteed to get games.

Not only would going to Sunderland for half a season mean he will be playing for a big club, but it will no doubt advance his development in the game – Sunderland would need Spurs to help them out in terms of wage contribution though.

Max Watters

With the salary cap being an issue for the Black Cats in terms of potential new recruits, Johnson could do worse than delving into League Two and looking at Crawley Town hotshot Watters.

The 21-year-old only signed for the Red Devils in October, but he could make them a quick buck due to the performances he’s produced in the last two months.

12 goals in 14 appearances have seen him become an instant hit at the Broadfield Stadium, and will no doubt have suitors higher up the footballing pyramid.

The compilation above paints Watters as a complete striker – a good turn of foot, powerful shot and can use both feet – he offers something unique to what the current strikeforce of Grigg, Graham and Wyke possess.

Liam Delap

The son of the most famous long thrower in football – Rory Delap – Liam is not like his father on the pitch at all.

Whilst Rory was a combative midfielder, Liam is a tall striker who is quick for someone who stands at 6ft 2in, is good with his feet and he possesses such talent that he’s already appeared and scored for Man City’s first team at the age of 17 this season.

A fan-made compilation confirms his obvious talents, and with six goals in seven Premier…