An update has emerged on Championship side Sunderland and their plans for the upcoming January transfer window...

What's the talk?

Tweeting on his private Twitter account (6:03pm), journalist Alan Nixon has claimed that Tony Mowbray is "keen" on adding depth and experience to his squad, after being asked if the Black Cats will be busy in the market.

He added (6:12pm) that Bradley Dack is the main player he has "heard" Sunderland are keen on but that the club are also eyeing another position as they look to strengthen the side.

In November, The Sun reported that Mowbray's team are interested in signing the Blackburn Rovers attacking midfielder and that he could be available on a free transfer if his current outfit opt to waive a fee in order to get his wages off their bill.

Kristjaan Speakman magic

Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman must now work his magic in the transfer market during the January window to bolster the squad in line with the manager's wishes.

The Black Cats already have a healthy contingent of promising and young prospects in the side and adding more experience could help the younger players to push on.

Anthony Patterson, Edouard Michut, Jack Clarke, Dennis Cirkin, and Ellis Simms are just a few of the many talented youngsters on the roster, whilst the likes of Corry Evans and Danny Batth have been providing the steel and know-how of Championship football.

Signing a player like Dack could provide the team with a big lift if Mowbray is able to get him back to his best. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder scored 24 goals and provided eight assists in 64 appearances across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 second-tier campaigns combined, which shows that he has the quality to be an influential figure at this level.

He is not a young, up-and-coming gem who would need to be managed and developed, something that means he could slot straight in to improve the side, rather than needing to play a mixture of U21 and first-team football like the likes of Jewison Bennette and Michut have this season.

Therefore, signing players of Dack's ilk would be a big boost to Mowbray's side as they could come in and have an instant impact, whilst also being able to impart their wisdom to the younger crop of players to help their development.

This is why Speakman must now work his magic in the market to provide the head coach with the signings that he is asking for. Indeed, it could improve the team drastically for the second half of the campaign if they bring the right ones in.