Aaron Connolly is looking for a 'home' at Sunderland

AARON Connolly has been told to use Jack Clarke and former Middlesbrough star Chuba Akpom as inspiration as he looks to realise his potential with Sunderland.

Connolly needs to get his career back on track after joining the Black Cats as a free agent.

And former Sunderland striker Don Goodman believes the Wearsiders can get the best out of the talented former Brighton frontman if they make him feel at home.

“Aaron Connolly could be a really useful signing and a good addition,” said Goodman, now an EFL pundit for Sky Sports.

“For Sunderland it’s about keeping him fit, he’s the type of player who is looking for a home. There are numerous examples of players who just need a place to settle, look at Chuba Akpom who was top scorer in the league at Middlesbrough.

“Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts are other players who have found a home at Sunderland and realised their potential.

“Connolly will be a different option to the players Sunderland currently have, so I think he’ll be a good addition.

“He only started 13 games last season for Hull but still scored eight goals. The first thing he will have to do is prove to Regis Le Bris and his teammates that he deserves to start in a team that is top of the league.”

In the transfer market Sunderland have previously prioritised young players with future potential, but added experience this summer with the arrivals of Alan Browne and Chris Mepham. And Connolly is another example of Sunderland’s bosses being open minded when it comes to recruitment.

Goodman told Grosvenor Sport: “What’s pleasing is that Sunderland are showing signs of being flexible in their policy of only signing players of a certain age.

“While it’s good to develop young players, they will need help from experienced heads if they have ambitions of finishing in the top six.

“With Sunderland, you’re always going to get varying results due to the fact they’re such a young team. They’re bound to display a bit of naivety like the penalty Dan Neil gave away against Watford in a game they probably didn’t deserve to lose.”

Aaron Connolly is looking for a ‘home’ at Sunderland

AARON Connolly has been told to use Jack Clarke and former Middlesbrough star Chuba Akpom as inspiration as he looks to realise his potential with Sunderland.

Click here to read more related articles

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply