Sunderland made shock bid to sign striker similar to Arsenal star Gyokeres

The last two Premier League seasons have seen all three of the newly promoted sides get instantly relegated, but Sunderland are making some big moves in the transfer market in an attempt to break the pattern.

Of the Black Cats’ ten biggest signings, six of them have come in this transfer window. The most expensive of the bunch has been 21-year-old midfielder, Habib Diarra, who joined from Strasbourg for £30 million.

Regis Le Bris has brought in a good mix of players who are varied in their positions and their age profiles. Unproven youngsters like Noah Sadiki and Chemsdine Talbi have been balanced with seasoned pros like Granit Xhaka and Reinildo Mandava.

These new signings integrated with Le Bris’ playoff-winning squad already make a team that are well-situated to fight for survival, but Sunderland aren’t finished there, as it has been revealed that they have been pushing to bring in a Premier League-proven striker.

Sunderland made shock move for Calvert-Lewin

TalkSport’s Alex Crook has reported that Sunderland approached Calvert-Lewin earlier in the window. Calvert-Lewin is currently a free agent after his contract with Everton expired. While Sunderland have already displayed a willingness to be bold this transfer window, a move for an England-capped player would be a big statement.

Crook’s report indicates that at this moment in time, the negotiations between the two parties have stalled due to Calvert-Lewin’s desire to play for a club higher up the table. The Englishman has also been linked with moves to Manchester United and Leeds; however, Ruben Amorim’s side appears on the verge of signing Benjamin Sesko, and Leeds were put off by his wage demands that were reportedly around the £100,000 a week mark.

At £5.2 million a year in wages plus a potential signing-on fee, a move for the striker looks feasible for Sunderland, given how much they’ve already been willing to spend this window. Interestingly, When Calvert-Lewin was being linked to a move to Old Trafford, Alan Pardew controversially said that “on their day there’s not much between” him and Arsenal’s new striker, Viktor Gyokeres.

Since these negotiations took place, Sunderland have signed Chelsea’s Marc Guiu on loan, but as Calvert-Lewin is a free agent, they could easily go back in for him if he doesn’t find a preferable club.

Calvert-Lewin’s defensive value

Many Sunderland fans may question why they are looking to sign a striker who hasn’t registered more than 11 goal involvements in any of the last four seasons. However, as Calvert-Lewin’s danger in front of goal has decreased, his abilities as “the first defender” have improved.

In comparison to some of the best strikers in the league, Calvert-Lewin has outperformed them drastically in numerous defensive actions.

Le Bris may not see Calvert-Lewin as a striker who will score bags of goals and keep Sunderland up, but as a rotation player who can see out games and defend from the front, helping ensure that Sunderland don’t concede too many late goals.

In this sense, the signings of Guiu and Calvert-Lewin could work well together as they provide Le Bris with multiple options depending on the situation.