Although KRISTJAAN Speakman maintains that Sunderland still has faith in the three permanent summer strikers they signed, he has admitted that it is critical for the Black Cats to be more transparent about their aspirations and expectations for their young players going forward.
Sunderland sought to reinforce their attacking options in the summer through the permanent acquisitions of Nazariy Rusyn, Hemir, and Eliezer Mayenda. However, the trio has encountered difficulties, managing only one goal collectively. Mason Burstow, on loan from Chelsea, also faced challenges this season but recently ended his goal drought by scoring the opening goal against Stoke City last Saturday.
The struggles of these four strikers have prompted Sunderland to prioritize the addition of another forward this month. The club’s leadership is actively pursuing a deal and is keen to finalize it before the impending 11 pm deadline tomorrow night.
Sporting director Speakman is adamant that the team still has long-term faith in Rusyn, Hemir, and Mayenda, regardless of whether Sunderland is successful in their chase of a striker. Meanwhile, the Black Cats are committed to making the most of Burstow’s loan period.
Speakman acknowledges that Sunderland needs to provide more transparency to fans regarding the club’s expectations and the importance of patience, particularly for young signings and players arriving from overseas.
“We’ve got a lot of belief in the players in the group,” said Speakman, emphasizing the need for clarity in communicating the club’s expectations. He mentioned a past situation where a player, signed about a year ago, received feedback from fans suggesting he hadn’t performed well enough. However, internally, the club believed he had already exceeded initial expectations.
Speakman highlighted the challenge of instant success in today’s world and the need to understand players’ career stages and progression. He cited examples like Amad and Ross Stewart, emphasizing that players aren’t robots and need time to adapt to new environments.
“It’s on us to try to create that environment for them, and then it’s up to them to step up,” he added, expressing faith in the players’ ability to improve. Speakman acknowledged the uncertainty of predicting players’ eventual levels of success and stated that the club makes the best judgments based on available information.
Despite Rusyn’s two-goal performance for Sunderland’s Under-21s, Burstow is likely to retain his place in the starting XI against Middlesbrough on Sunday, even if a new striker is signed before the deadline. There’s a possibility that Hemir could go out on loan if a new striker arrives, but Sunderland has no intention of loaning out Mayenda. Even if Mayenda doesn’t feature much in the second half of the season, the club prefers him to continue his development under their guidance, with regular appearances for the Under-21s expected in the coming months.