Sunderland have been linked with a plethora of strikers throughout this lengthy winter transfer window, with Emil Riis Jakobsen and Semih Kilicsoy rumored to make a late move to the Stadium of Light.
However, no such agreement has yet been reached, as the clock approaches the dramatic drama of deadline day.
Regis Le Bris will be hoping for a spectacular deal to be completed before Monday’s deadline, with a return to England for this former Championship sharpshooter perhaps on the cards.
Latest on Sunderland’s search for a striker
According to Dutch source De Telegraaf, Sunderland are still in the running to sign Ajax striker Chuba Akpom before the transfer market closes.
Of course, previous reports suggested that Akpom was uninterested in making the move to Wearside, having previously played for Middlesbrough before moving on to pastures new in Amsterdam.
After all, a loan move between the two parties is possible, with De Telegraaf adding that Leicester City and Olympique de Marseille are both interested in signing Akpom on a short-term basis.
This deal could become permanent in the summer, but Sunderland will merely hope that the 29-year-old’s arrival offers them an advantage in the ongoing promotion chase near the top of the Championship, since the ex-Arsenal man was a machine when he previously shone at this level.
What Akpom could offer Sunderland
Instead of taking a gamble on an unknown creature in the English game in Kilicsoy, Sunderland might strike instant gold by signing Akpom, if his recent season in the second division offers any indication.
Indeed, the ex-Boro hero would score a stunning 28 league goals for Michael Carrick’s promotion-chasing club during the 2022/23 season, with Carrick describing Akpom as a “terrific” talent who went on to win the Championship Golden Boot as a result of his lethal performances at the Riverside Stadium.
While Kilicsoy was equally as explosive from the point for Beskitas last season, scoring 11 goals in just 23 league games, he has drawn a lot of blanks this season in his native Turkey, scoring just one goal in 19 matches.
Although Ajax are looking to sell Akpom, he has shown flashes of his goalscoring talent this season for the Dutch giants, scoring eight goals in all competitions, four of which came in the Europa League.
| Akpom’s Championship goal record by season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Games played | Goals scored |
| 22/23 | 38 | 28 |
| 21/22 | 1 | 0 |
| 20/21 | 38 | 5 |
| 16/17 | 10 | 0 |
| 15/16 | 35 | 3 |
| 14/15 | 7 | 0 |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt | ||
There is considerable speculation that Akpom’s Golden Boot-winning season was a fluke, especially given that he only scored eight second-tier goals in his career before emerging into a clinical attacker at Boro.
However, the 29-year-old will undoubtedly be ready to just take up where he left off, surrounded by elite attacking talents like as Patrick Roberts and Jobe Bellingham, while also providing Le Bris with a more seasoned mind away from the more novice members of his group.
Kilicsoy, who is only 19 years old, would be more in line with Sunderland’s young and hungry style, but if the Black Cats want to prove they’re serious about winning promotion rather than merely participating, signing Akpom could be the next best option.
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