One in, one out. Sunderland's deadline day business was all about defenders.
But when the transfer window closed, the gaping hole in their squad remained unfilled. Sunderland went into January in desperate need of at least one additional striker, signed one, lost their main man to a serious injury, and found themselves worse off than when they started.
No wonder Sunderland fans were left gnashing their teeth as the clock chimed 11pm. When Everton recalled Ellis Simms from his loan spell at the beginning of the month, the Black Cats desperately needed to bring in a replacement as competition and cover for their talisman and leading scorer Ross Stewart who was their only remaining out-and-and centre-forward.
