Sunderland are in the market to sign a new number nine during the January transfer window after being dealt a blow to their squad at the start of the month.

Premier League side Everton decided to recall striker Ellis Simms from his loan spell at the Stadium of Light and Tony Mowbray has now been left with Ross Stewart as his only natural option in that position.

Kristjaan Speakman and Mowbray could now repeat the masterclass Sunderland played with Simms during the first half of the season by bringing in another loanee from the top-flight.

Earlier this month, Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie revealed that the Black Cats are interested in signing Nottingham Forest striker Sam Surridge.

The reporter claimed that the centre-forward is available on loan from the Premier League side and that fellow Championship outfit Burnley are also keen on the marksman.

Simms spent the first half of the campaign at Sunderland on a temporary basis from Everton and caught the eye with his impressive performances at the top end of the pitch.

The 22-year-old averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.03 as he produced seven goals and two assists in 14 Championship starts for the Black Cats, which shows that he was able to put in brilliant performances on a regular basis whilst scoring and assisting goals for the team.

He was a terrific signing who hit the ground running on Wearside to push the club up the table in the division and Surridge could now come in as a similar addition this year.

Like Simms was last summer, the Forest dynamo is a Premier League striker who has struggled for minutes in the top-flight - starting just once so far.

However, he has racked up two goals and two assists in four EFL Cup appearances for Steve Cooper this term, which shows that he is not completely out of form at present.

The forward is also a proven goalscorer in the Championship as he plundered nine goals and two assists in 11 starts, playing 37 matches in total, in the division last season for Forest as they gained promotion to the top tier. This shows that he has the ability to score goals on a regular basis from the start at this level.

Surridge, who was once hailed as "clinical" by journalist Callum Castel, could be an excellent addition to the team and could replace the goalscoring threat the club lost when Simms went back to Goodison Park.

Therefore, Mowbray must push to complete a deal for the £15k-per-week dynamo as the 24-year-old has the potential to be Simms 2.0 for the Black Cats.