Strikers - or, rather, the lack of them - has been a theme of Sunderland's season. Nathan Broadhead's return to Everton last summer at the end of his loan spell meant the question of who the Black Cats would bring in as competition, cover, and a potential partner, for Ross Stewart loomed large.
Sunderland were expected to sign two strikers, but in the end Ellis Simms was the only addition when he arrived on loan from Everton two days before the season began. An injury to Stewart at the beginning of September left Simms to shoulder the burden on his own, and in the very next game at Reading Simms was also injured which meant Sunderland had to battle on through the next seven games without a recognised centre-forward at all.
Simms was then recalled by Everton at the beginning of January, meaning the mid-season transfer window turned into another search for a striker. Again, two strikers were expected but only one materialised when Joe Gelhardt arrived on loan from Leeds United just days before the deadline.
