The Black Cats have endured a difficult second half of the campaign, with a lack of goals from their forwards being a clear issue.

The Wearside outfit signed Mason Burstow, Nazariy Rusyn, Eliezer Mayenda and Luis Semedo last summer, but the quartet have all struggled to find the back of the net in the Championship.

This led to a winter market search for a more experienced forward to lead the line.

However, the club ultimately ended up not signing anybody as their form collapsed under both Michael Beale and Mike Dodds.

Sunderland’s failed January striker search

Journalist Nick Barnes has revealed that Sunderland saw deals for both Kieffer Moore and Jay Stansfield collapse this season.

He claimed that wages proved a major stumbling block in the deal to sign Moore, while there was less clarity over why Stansfield’s move didn’t materialise.

“It’s fascinating because the assumption is that they have not tried to get any experienced number nine into the building,” said Barnes, via BBC Total Sport.

“Now, as I understand it, they had agreed a deal with Bournemouth for Kieffer Moore, but that fell through because of a wrangle over wages and Ipswich came in through the back door.

“They also had a deal in place for Jay Stansfield but again, that was not rubber stamped for whatever reason.

“And that’s something I think needs more transparency from the club.”

Moore’s impact at Ipswich

Sunderland were linked with a loan move for Moore during the January transfer window, but lost out to Ipswich Town in the race for his signature.

The Wales international has gone on to feature 17 times for Kieran McKenna’s side, contributing seven goals and one assist (all stats from Fbref).

He has proven crucial to the team’s push for automatic promotion, with the Tractor Boys now just one point away from a long-awaited Premier League return.

Meanwhile, Stansfield has spent the season on loan at Birmingham City, where he has scored 12 in 42 for the Blues.

Sunderland’s poor second half of the season

The Black Cats were in contention for a play-off place by the time of the January transfer window, but have since seen their form collapse.

Beale was dismissed as head coach in February, with Dodds replacing him on an interim basis until the end of the campaign.

The team sits 15th in the table going into this weekend’s final round of fixtures.

Sunderland will face Sheffield Wednesday at home in a 12.30pm kick-off on 4 May.

Moore deal could have transformed Sunderland’s season

When you see how important Moore has been for Ipswich, it is easy to wonder what he could have done with Sunderland instead.

A loan deal for the Bournemouth striker would have improved the team, and could have kept them in contention for a top six finish.

Perhaps even Beale would still be in the role if Moore had made a bright start to life at the Stadium of Light.

But one thing is clear: Sunderland need to be proactive in the summer and find a forward they can rely on right now to score consistent goals, rather than focus on someone who might have the potential to do so in the future.

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