Allardyce has signed his first player of the January transfer, however, is still in the market for a right-back and striker, writes the Sunderland Echo.
German centre-half Jan Kirchhoff signed an 18-month deal at the Stadium of Light after completing a £750,000 deal from German giants Bayern Munich. The deal came after the £5 million move for French-born Ivorian centre-back Lamine Kone broke down due to his fitness.
The right-back spot has plagued the Mackems for a while now, and even with Billy Jones, DeAndre Yedlin and Adam Matthews in the squad the manager is not content. However Yedlin is not permanent, and the injury plague of Adam Matthews seems to never end; alongside a renowned injury prone Billy Jones.
One name which is set to join the Premier League in this transfer window is Leeds United’s right-sided utility man Sam Byram, who has recently been confirmed to be leaving the club by the Leeds chairman. Allardyce has reportedly been scouting the youngster since his time at West Ham and will probably be a big name on his list.
Elsewhere, there are question marks over the future of attackers Danny Graham and Steven Fletcher, and could be even further up the list than the right-back position to replace this January. The main name coming up over recent days is Italian striker Ciro Immobile, who is currently on loan at Sevilla from Borussia Dortmund.
It is understood that no transfers are imminent, however, don’t expect it to be a quiet few weeks for the Black Cats.
