With Monday's transfer deadline fast approaching, Sunderland are working to bring in more reinforcements to bolster their promotion bid.
Lee Johnson still wants to bring in another striker, and a return to Wearside for Jermain Defoe remains a possibility, but he could also add another full-back and/or another midfielder to ensure his side is not left short of specialist cover in the second half of the season.
But while there is more work to do, it has already been a busy transfer window for Sunderland with 15 player movements already taking place.
READ MORE: Denver Hume explains Sunderland exit in first interview after Portsmouth transfer
Here are the moves that have already been confirmed.
IN
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe is back at Sunderland, four-and-a-half years after leaving the club in the wake of relegation from the Premier League.
The ex-England international left his role as player-coach at Rangers earlier this month and has joined Sunderland as a free agent, signing a deal that initially runs to the end of the current season.
Defoe said: "I can't stop smiling because this is a special move for me for many reasons.
"I've had so many messages saying, 'remember when you said you would come back', as I said that I would one day and when I left, I wasn't ready to leave.
"I have a special bond with the fans here and the club is in a fantastic position to get promoted."
Jay Matete
Sunderland completed the signing of midfielder Jay Matete from Fleetwood Town late on deadline day.
The 20-year-old has joined for an undisclosed six-figure fee, and has signed a four-and-a-half year deal with the Black Cats.
Matete had been a January target for a number of clubs at Premier League, Championship, and League One level, but the Black Cats have won the battle for his signature.
Matete said: "I'm delighted to sign for a club of this stature and I can't wait to get started.
"Everything happened so quickly, but it's brilliant to get the deal done and I'm excited for what the future holds.
"I've watched the club from a young age and I'm looking forward to getting out there at the Stadium of Light in front of the supporters."
Trai Hume
Sunderland's first signing of the window, Hume joined the Black Cats from Irish Premiership side Linfield at the beginning of the month.
A right-back who can also operate in midfield, the Northern Ireland U21 international arrived for an undisclosed fee - thought to be in the region of £200,000 - and signed a four-and-a-half year contract on Wearside.
Lee Johnson said of the 19-year-old: "I think it's an exciting signing, listening to him and his journey, it's almost like a Roy of the Rovers-type story.
"He's very hungry, very humble, and very happy to be here.
"We wouldn't recruit him unless we believed that we could mould him into the kind of player that we know he can be, but he also has to show those key attributes on a regular basis.
"Trai is a really exciting player for us."
Danny Batth
Sunderland won the race to sign experienced centre-back Batth, despite strong interest in him from clubs in the Championship and from League One rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
The 31-year-old joined on a free transfer from Stoke City, signing an initial 18-month contract, with the deal believed to include an option to extend for another 12 months.
Batth was brought in to strengthen the Black Cats' back line, with Johnson admitting that his squad had lacked physicality at times in the first half of the season.
The former Wolves man, who has also spent loan spells at Colchester, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, and Middlesbrough, is a three-time promotion winner, having helped Wednesday get out of League One in 2011-12, Wolves do the same in 2013-14, and then been part of the Wolves side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2017-18.
He excelled on his Sunderland debut against Portsmouth at the weekend, with Johnson saying: "We need to win all types of games and that is something I recognised early on in the season but I don't think we addressed it early enough.
"The signing of Danny has certainly addressed that and has given us that dominant first-ball winner.
"I thought he was brilliant. He has that physicality and he takes the emphasis of Flanno [Tom Flanagan] having to be physical and the dominant one.
"He's not just a brute. You saw that he can play."
Patrick Roberts
Johnson described Roberts' signing as 'an amazing coup', after the 24-year-old joined the Black Cats for a nominal up-front fee - albeit with significant add-ons - from Manchester City.
The ex-England U20 winger signed a contract until the end of the season, with the deal including an option to extend his stay beyond the summer.
Roberts was nicknamed 'mini Messi' while in the youth ranks at Fulham, and his ability convinced City to sign him in a deal worth £11m in 2015.
But he was unable to make an impact at the Etihad, and instead spent loan spells at Celtic, Girona, Norwich, Middlesbrough, Derby, and then in the first of this season, at French side Troyes.
His move to Sunderland gives him the chance to kick-start his career again by helping the Black Cats get out of League One.
Johnson said of him: "Patrick is a player that we have always kept our eyes on over the years because he really is a top talent.
"This is an amazing opportunity – for him and the club – to give him the love he requires at a standard whereby we think he can excel and then come with us to the next level.
"He thrives on the big occasion and the beauty of Sunderland is that there is a big occasion every three days."
Jack Clarke
Sunderland's latest addition, Clarke joined the Wearsiders this week on loan from Spurs until the end of the season.
The 21-year-old - who can operate either as a winger or a striker - started his career at Leeds before moving to Spurs in a deal worth around £10m, and immediately returned to Elland Road on loan for the 2019-20 season.
He has also spent loan spells at QPR and Stoke City
Johnson said: "Jack is a talented player and having followed his progress over the past few years, I feel like he’s really grown on the pitch throughout the past six months and found a maturity to pair with that talent."
Anthony Patterson (recall from loan)
Not strictly an incoming, but I will include it here for the sake of completeness.
Academy goalkeeper Patterson joined National League Notts County on loan in September but was one of three players recalled this month when a Covid outbreak left Sunderland down to the bare bones - with their two senior keepers, Thorben Hoffmann and Lee Burge, among those sidelined.
Patterson made two appearances before Hoffmann returned, but the 21-year-old is still here because Burge has yet to be given a clean bill of health after experiencing heart palpitations thought to be linked to his brush with Covid.
When Patterson was recalled, the plan was to allow him to resume his loan at Notts County and that is still expected to happen when Burge is back to full fitness. Because County play in the National League, he can return to Meadow Lane outside the transfer window.
OUT
Denver Hume
Sunderland allowed academy graduate Hume to join League One rivals Portsmouth this week, in a move thought to be worth £200,000 plus a significant sell-on clause.
The left-back was seen as a bright young talent during his breakthrough season in 2019-20, but a series of hamstring injuries have disrupted his progress.
The 23-year-old was also involved in a protracted contract stand-off with the club last summer, and although he eventually signed a new deal, he found that he had dropped down the pecking order.
Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “Naturally, Denver wants to be playing regular football to move his career forward, but he’s found himself out of the team and played less than 20 games in the past 12 months.
"As an academy graduate, we want to support and maximise his development and this is a natural progression for him in the current circumstances."
Tom Flanagan
Tom Flanagan made deadline day move to Shrewsbury Town. The Northern Ireland international defender, who was in the final six months of his contract on Wearside, has joined the Shrews on a permanent basis and has signed a two-and-a-half year deal at the New Meadow.
Flanagan's departure comes as something of a surprise as he has been a regular for the Black Cats this season, starting 25 of their 29 League One games so far, alongside on-loan Manchester City teenager Callum Doyle.
And his departure leaves Sunderland with just four senior central defenders - Doyle, Danny Batth, Bailey Wright, and Arbenit Xhemajli who has only just returned from a long-term knee injury.
But the arrival of fellow centre-back Danny Batth from Stoke City the week before last may be a sign that Flanagan would have got significantly less gametime had he stayed for the remainder of the season.
Aiden O'Brien
Aiden O'Brien sealed a deadline day move to Sunderland's League One rivals Portsmouth.
The forward has been a peripheral figure this season and was keen to play regular first-team football, with the Black Cats agreeing that he could leave Wearside this month.
O'Brien's contract with Sunderland was due to expire in the summer but his time has been cut short and he has instead signed a short-term deal with Pompey until the end of the season.
Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman explained: "Aiden's contract was due to expire this summer and although he has had impactful moments throughout the season, he has consistently voiced his desire to play regular football.
"We feel this move gives him the best opportunity to secure more playing time whilst also supporting his career in the long-term and we wish him well for the future."
Pompey boss Danny Cowley added: "We're really pleased to sign Aiden and from the moment I spoke to him, there was an energy and enthusiasm to join us.
"We're lucky to be at such a renowned football club because there are so many players who want to come here."
Ollie Younger
Centre-back Younger joined Doncaster Rovers on a free transfer last week, with the former Burnley man going from a peripheral figure on Wearside to a player immediately in first-team contention at the South Yorkshire club.
Younger was a regular for Sunderland's U23 side but his senior appearances for the Black Cats this season had come in cup competitions, although the 22-year-old was regularly named on the bench for league games.
His contract was due to expire at the end of the season and Johnson said: "I could have kept Ollie here, but to do that would have been selfish of me.
"It wouldn't have been right for the football club, or for Ollie.
"I love Ollie, I love the way he trains, I think he brings a dynamic and an honesty to training, and I really wish him the best of luck.
"It's great for him to kick-start his career in League One at a really good club where he will be able to compete straightaway for a place."
Josh Hawkes
Former Hartlepool winger Hawkes joined Sunderland in 2020 and had a stand-out first season for the club's U23 side.
But his form was not rewarded with many first team opportunities, and he spent the first half of the season on loan at League Two Tranmere Rovers.
The 22-year-old was recalled to Wearside earlier this month as the club was left short of numbers due to a Covid outbreak.
His contract was due to expire this summer, and he was this week allowed to return to Tranmere on a permanent basis.
Speakman said: "Josh has worked incredibly hard over the past 18 months to compete for a place within our senior squad before enjoying a successful loan at Tranmere.
"He turns 23 later this week and the opportunity to move to Prenton Park on a permanent basis and play League Two football regularly is one that we feel is the right step for him.
"We wish Josh every success for the future."
Stephen Wearne (loan)
Attacking midfielder Wearne joined National League Torquay United on loan for the rest of the season, where he will play under Johnson's father Gary.
The 21-year-old former Middlesbrough man had been on the first-team fringes this season, and scored on his senior debut in an EFL Trophy win against Lincoln in October.
Will Harris (loan)
Harris joined League Two Barrow on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 21-year-old striker made his senior debut for Sunderland in the EFL Trophy in October, and went on to make three more appearances in that competition, and a couple of substitute outings in the league.
Speakman said that both Harris and Wearne were sent out on loan to give them a chance to play more senior minutes.
He said: "Our plan was to obtain loans for both players in this window and we are delighted to have achieved the right opportunities for them.
"Having had the opportunity to play for Sunderland this season, both are eager to participate in more senior games and demonstrate their progression over the last year.
"We wish them well and as always, we will track their progression closely.”
Jack Diamond (loan)
Diamond spent the first half of the season on loan at League Two Harrogate Town - the club where he spent a successful loan spell the season before last, helping the Sulphurites win promotion to the EFL.
The 22-year-old wideman was recalled earlier this month when Sunderland were hit by a Covid outbreak, but has now been allowed to return to Wetherby Road to see out the remainder of the season.
Patrick Almond (loan)
Centre-back Almond has joined National League North side Blyth Spartans for the second half of the season.
The 19-year-old is on a youth loan, meaning he can be recalled at any time after an initial 28-day period.
Almond had been a regular for Sunderland U23s this season and made his senior debut in October in the EFL Trophy.
Jack McIntyre (loan)
Young goalkeeper McIntyre joined Radcliffe FC earlier in January on a month-long loan deal.
The 19-year-old former Everton man arrived on Wearside last summer following a successful trial, and had played games for Sunderland U23s this term.
Kenton Richardson (loan)
Defender Kenton Richardson joined National League North side Spennnymoor Town in November, and that deal has now been extended until the end of the season.
The 22-year-old had started all three of Sunderland's EFL Trophy group games before leaving on loan.
Frederik Alves (loan terminated)
West Ham centre-back Alves returned to the capital earlier this month after his season-long loan on Wearside was cut short.
The Denmark U21 international failed to impress in his time at Sunderland, making just 10 appearances in the first half of the campaign - three substitute outings in the league, and his seven starts all came in the cups.
Speakman explained: "Throughout Freddie's loan, we have remained in regular dialogue with him and West Ham United regarding his programme.
"He's progressed and he's matured off the pitch, but he's missing the frequency of games required at this stage of his development and we collectively understand the need for him to be playing regular football.
"Having reviewed this with his parent club, we agreed that it is the natural solution for him to return in January to plan out the second part of the season.
"We thank West Ham United and we wish Freddie well in his career."
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