Sunderland’s transfer window was ‘good’, admits Michael Beale as he outlines Boro away plan.
Sunderland manager Michael Beale feels the January transfer window was a productive one for the club as he reflects on the month’s activities before of Sunday’s Championship game against Middlesbrough.
The Wearsiders travel to the Riverside with three new arrivals following the window, with Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle, and Callum Styles bolstering Beale’s roster. Nectar Triantis and Eliezer Mayenda left on loan to Hibernian on deadline day, while Jay Mateta joined Oxford on a temporary basis.
It capped off a tumultuous last few days of the window after a relatively quiet month for Sunderland, with Alex Pritchard leaving the club after requesting to leave, and the playmaker joining ex-Black Cats manager Tony Mowbray at Birmingham City. Now that the window has closed, Beale wants to focus on Sunderland’s task of advancing to the play-offs, which begins with a stern test against Michael Carrick’s Boro on Sunday. However, he does so after declaring his satisfaction with the club’s performance in the window.
“The three very good players who have come in were targets for the club.” He went on to say. “I know the players well. Leo (Hjelde) has spent the most time with the group. He’s a player I saw emerge in Scotland, and he’s come down to Leeds and performed admirably. He’s had a good loan spell at Motherwell and is highly regarded in his international squad. He provides us with excellent balance, as left-footed defenders capable of playing left-back are difficult to find. We believe we have signed a really good player there.
“Romain enjoyed a fantastic academy career with Spurs before moving on to Standard Liege. He’s been on the club’s radar for a while and provides us with versatility in a variety of areas, while Callum Styles is a fantastic football player who will really assist the team. Obviously, he has played for Hungary and will travel to the Euros as a midfielder who can also play wingback and fullback. So the ‘ins’ are quite positive.
“I believe that was part of the boys’ strategy to play more in the second half of the season.
Certainly, in Nectar’s (Triantis) and Eli’s (Mayenda) situations, I believe they are guys with excellent future prospects. Jay (Mateta) has just missed a lot of football and would benefit from playing. Overall, it was a busy but positive day, and we are now moving forward.”
Sunderland must now continue without an experienced striker, with Nazariy Rusyn and Mason Burstow expected to share the No. 9 role in the coming weeks. The pair have only scored twice in a Sunderland shirt this season, with Burstow scoring in last weekend’s 3-1 victory over Stoke City.
However, Beale emphasized the importance of the team’stepping up’ and supporting whoever takes on the frontman role, and he wants to see the team accept responsibility for goal scoring.
“Relaxed is a big word for a manager when you’re chasing a place in the play-offs and pushing on from there,” he remarked when questioned about the striker position. “Mason (Burstow) played exceptionally well last week and scored a goal; Nas (Rusyn) has performed admirably, and if you asked him what his primary position is, he would probably say left forward coming inside.” He scored a few goals for the second team earlier this week.
“Semedo is a player I believe we should have high hopes for in the future; he’s obviously adjusting to the country, and he’s had a couple of fitness issues recently, carrying one or two knocks, which is why he didn’t play in the B-team game against Leeds.” It’s a team effort; the team scores goals, and we had three different goal scorers last weekend, which is encouraging for everyone.
“The team needs to step up. I believe it has been difficult at times to be a striker at Sunderland – do we cross the ball sufficiently, or do we attempt to create the perfect goal with exquisite play? So it’s critical that we feed the number nine, regardless of who is within. It’s critical that they get good service and have people play close to them. “I thought last week was definitely a step in the right direction.”
While Sunderland fans are hesitant to refer to any game against Middlesbrough as a “derby,” there is more at stake this weekend than just local rivalry.
The Black Cats lost the correspending game 4-0 at the Stadium of Light, with Dan Neil sent off. Beale is well aware of Boro’s threat under Michael Carrick, but is backing his side to record an important away win.
