Sunderland are looking to seal a deal for Swansea City striker Andre Ayew, however if the two clubs fail to negotiate a deal Sam Allardyce is prepared to go overseas. The Black Cats’ boss wants two more outfield additions in total.
Allardyce has already added centre-back Jan Kirchhoff to his books; the ex-Bayern Munich player had a nightmare debut against Tottenham Hotspur but he will be named in the squad to face Bournemouth. Also in the team will be loanee Dame N’Doye, after Big Sam brought the striker to Wearside from Trabzonspor last week.
One of the players who Sunderland certainly will not be buying is Lamine Kone. The club ended talks with the Lorient centre-half last week, the second time contract negotiations have broken down.
It is thought to be unlikely that the attacker Big Sam lands is Ayew, as Swansea offciials having stated they are not willing to sell to a relegation rival.
Sunderland are also in the market for a third-choice goalkeeper following Costel Pantilimon’s switch to Watford. Danny Graham, Liam Bridcutt and Will Buckley have all left the club on loan as Big Sam looks to free up some space on the wage bill.
“Realistically, I think we’re probably looking at another two players coming in," explained Allardyce. "That’s being realistic in terms of the size of the task of finding players and negotiating in the period of time that remains."
Allardyce continued, “There’s a certain level of quality you need, and it has to fit in financially." He admitted there are "a lot of issues" that surround signing a player, but confirmed they are "probably looking at another defender and perhaps an attacking player" coming in before the window closes.
The manager added, "I’m not really counting a new third-choice goalkeeper, which is a necessity, so I think two outfield players is probably what we’re looking at.”
Allardyce admits financial difficulties in the Premier League
The start of next week will mark the club’s final attempt to attract Ayew to the Stadium of Light, the Ghanaian international is thought to be the only domestic striker on Big Sam’s list.
Whilst the Sunderland boss wishes to sign players with Premier League experience, he has admitted that the financial struggles of the Premier League may hinder his desire to do so. “It’s the size of the fees and the lack of players’ availability in this country that is the issue,” explained Allardyce.
“If you’re spending £10m or £15m in this country, it’s not really seen as a big number in football anymore," he said. Allardyce believes "the foreign market has always offered better value for money", and that idea "still applies". However, he sees the "risk is greater" and that it "shouldn't be done in January.
He continued, "But the fact of the matter is that there are far more quality players available abroad than there is in this country because who wants to sell anybody a player in the Premier League at the moment?”
It is rumoured that Kirchhoff and N’Doye are set to be named as substitutes tomorrow and the former will be hoping that his home debut will go a lot better than the last one. The German centre-back had a nightmare as he gifted Spurs two goals within ten minutes of being on the field.
Allardyce aims to silence Kirchhoff doubters
Allardyce recalled on the time Ivan Campo and Jay-Jay Okocha made their debuts for Bolton Wanderers and were bombarded with criticism.
“I remember when Ivan Campo made his debut, and he was called a clown," Allardyce declared. "That was because of his long hair and the way he runs around with ten-to-two feet and doesn’t look like a footballer. It was Rodney Marsh who said that, but Ivan was better than him. He never won the Champions League or the league title in Spain."
He added, "It’s hard to make your debut here in England. You think, ‘I’ll be alright here’ – they all say that, right from Fernando Hierro to Jay-Jay Okocha."
He also described just how hard the legendary Nigerian found things in England to start off, "I took Jay-Jay off at half-time in the first game of the season at QPR, and he almost begged me to take him off because he couldn’t cope."
The former Bolton boss compared the pair with Kirchhoff, “In the end, he turned out to be an outstanding player, and Jan will adjust too. He’ll do that quickly and play a part between now and the end of the season, I’m sure of that.”
Meanwhile, Allardyce clarified his goalkeeping situation, stating that Vito Mannone is his number one, not Jordan Pickford. “Jordan isn’t the number one – Vito is the number one,” said Allardyce.
“I wanted Jordan to go in for a game after his good performance at Arsenal, to see how he can do in the Premier League," he concluded. "But we’ve assured Vito that for the time being, he’s the number one and will continue to be the number one until such time as his performances don’t deserve that position.”
