Sunderland were not searching for cover for Ross Stewart on transfer deadline day, Tony Mowbray has revealed. The Black Cats were widely expected to look to bring in a third out-and-out striker to provide backup for Stewart and on-loan Everton man Ellis Simms, and last week Mowbray said that the club had 'some balls rolling until 8-9pm' on deadline day.
In the end, no more reinforcements arrived ahead of the 11pm transfer window and, with top scorer Stewart suffering a thigh injury just days later which is expected to rule him out for between six and eight weeks, the club's decision not to pursue another frontman has come under renewed scrutiny. Mowbray has now confirmed that the players he was referring to when talking about the failed deadline day deals were in fact a defensive midfielder, and a defender.
Asked by ChronicleLive whether any of the players Sunderland were looking at on the final day of the window were strikers, Mowbray said: "Not really. One was a pretty flexible, defensive midfield player, who could cover Corry Evans' position for us and also play out in the full-back area, and one might have been a defensive player.
READ MORE: Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray admits he must 'find a way' to cope without Ross Stewart
"But there wasn't anybody who was, in my mind, a stick-on centre forward. I think that's why Ellis Simms has been brought in, to do that."
Mowbray had only been in charge at Sunderland for three days when deadline day rolled around, with the club's overall transfer strategy directed by sporting director Kristjaan Speakman who said he was content with the squad and that 'we don't need any [more] players'. But it will now be up to Mowbray to find a way of playing either by finding a non-specialist striker to play alongside Simms, or alternatively to change system and utilise Simms as a lone frontman.
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