Kevin Phillips makes Sunderland transfer admission following Lee Johnson’s latest comments | OneFootball

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips believes that looking at out of contract players from Major League Soccer would be a good place to start for Lee Johnson to start adding to his Sunderland squad.

The Black Cats have been hit by injuries in recent weeks, with both Luke O’Nien and Aiden McGeady sidelined by long-term injuries as well as Corry Evans, Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins on the injury list.

There’s also several knocks that Johnson is having to contend with and with just two wins in their last seven League One matches, it’s clear that the Wearsiders need some fresh additions.

Quiz: Has Aiden McGeady ever scored a goal for Sunderland at each of these 26 stadiums?

Johnson has not ruled out signing free agents – which is possible before the January transfer window opens – in a bid to bolster his thread-bare set of players with the head coach mentioning the possibility of match-fit players from the Indian Super League or the MLS as examples of the market they could dip into.

And Phillips, who once won the European Golden Boot when a Black Cat, believes that the latter league would be a good place to look at when it comes to free agency.

“It is always a difficult one when you sign someone halfway through the season,” Phillips told Football Insider.

“You would only bring in someone on loan if they have not been playing at their club.

“The downside is, League One is a physical league. When you look at the Indian league and the MLS, they are not that comparable to League One.

“The recruitment team will be searching high and wide for players who can come in and help out. I would be looking at the MLS over the Indian league though.”

The Verdict

Sunderland do seem in desperate need for new additions and players who can come in and make an immediate impact, so looking at MLS players who have expiring contracts would be a good move.

But there could be an issue regarding work permits and which players can actually play in England that prove to be stumbling blocks – it’s not just as easy as going out and picking a foreign player.

There are some British players in that league though and they could potentially return to these shores but Johnson seemingly cannot afford to wait much longer to make some additions.