Sunderland already have a potential summer signing lined up.
Sunderland need to be busy in the summer transfer window after watching their 2023/24 season fall apart.
The Black Cats are now winless in seven after drawing 0-0 vs QPR in the Championship last time out, after Sunderland sacked Michael Beale last month.
Mike Dodds is yet to claim a win as interim boss and his chances of landing the permanent job seem to be dwindling.
So as well as signing new players and likely offloading names like Jack Clarke among others, the Black Cats need to find a new manager as well.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman already making Sunderland plans
There are several names being linked with the Sunderland manager job ahead of the summer.
Will Still is Sunderland’s ideal managerial appointment but names like Steve Cooper have also been linked, with several more likely to come into the running as we edge towards the summer.
Elsewhere, one player who could be on Sunderland’s summer signing list is Callum Styles.
The Black Cats signed Styles on loan from Barnsley on deadline day last month, with Sunderland also having the option to make his stay permanent.
Barnsley boss Neill Collins previously described Styles as a ‘quality’ player.
Callum Styles at Sunderland
It’s not been a very strong start for Styles so far at the Stadium of Light.
The 23-year-old has featured five times in the Championship so far, boasting an average SofaScore rating of 6.72, putting him 21st in the Sunderland player rankings.
The Hungarian international is yet to record a goal contribution and has only played a whole 90 minutes once, against QPR in the last outing.
So far, Dodds has played Styles in a number of different positions including on either side of defence and on the right wing against Norwich City.
Though Dodds has openly admitted he doesn’t know what Styles’ best position is.
Sunderland transfer strategy coming under criticism
This run of form has shone a light of Sunderland’s transfer model, which heavily favours younger players, often coming in from abroad.
And that’s highlighted a lack of experience, but what Styles’ signing so far is showing us is that there’s a lack of planning.
Dodds has been with the club for a number of years. He may well have known that Styles was a player of interest for a while, but the fact that Styles has come in and even Dodds doesn’t know what to do with him suggests that the club perhaps signed him on a whim.
Speakman probably brought him in thinking his quality would fit in anywhere, but that’s ot been the case so far.
Styles isn’t showing why he’s been wanted by so many Championship teams in the past.
Yes, he can play in a number of positions which is useful, but right now he’s only proving to be a back-up player and Sunderland need star quality, especially ahead of next season with a lot of key players potentially being sold this summer.
Instead of spending money on signing Styles, Speakman needs to properly assess the team with the relevant people and bolster appropriately.