Tony Mowbray admission hints at Sunderland AFC’s transfer priorities: View | OneFootball

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Tony Mowbray’s recent comments after the loss to Huddersfield Town on Wednesday evening were quite illuminating.

Sunderland dropped to 11th in the Championship table following their loss to the Terriers at home midweek.

A 2-1 loss saw them suffer a second defeat in a row since returning from the November international break.

The Sunderland boss’ comments may be a hint at the club’s potential January transfer plans, as they look to compete for promotion to the Premier League.

What has Tony Mowbray said about Sunderland’s misfiring forwards?

Mowbray has highlighted a lack of goals in the team as an issue behind their current poor run of form.

The veteran coach believes that his strikers will find their feet and start hitting the back of the net soon, but he claimed a solution is needed soon in order to not lose ground on their rivals.

"It's not as if we're free scoring at the minute and moving forward we have to find an answer otherwise the goals for will be a problem,” said Mowbray, via The Northern Echo.

"The last two home games [before Huddersfield] we scored three in each and since I've been in this club we've generally found a way to score goals, last season a lot of the time without strikers.

"This year we have young strikers and we are trying to get them up to speed.

“[Mason] Burstow played seven or eight games on the bounce, [Nazariy] Rusyn played three or four, tonight was [Eliezer] Mayenda's opportunity.

"We hope one of them catches fire and can start banging them in.

“Centre forwards, their job is to put the ball in the back of the net.

“We feel as though we do create chances but we're not pointing the finger just at the centre-forwards.

“The goals just seem to have dried up a little bit."

Goals are certainly an issue Sunderland need to address quickly, as they are falling behind in the race for a top six position.

The Wearside outfit were the fourth best team in the division last year for goals scored, with two different players bagging more than 10, and a third in Jack Clarke got nine.

Who is Sunderland's top scorer this season?

Clarke is now the team’s top scorer and with both Amad Diallo and Ross Stewart out of the team, no one else has really picked up the mantle they have left behind.

The next best after the 22-year-old is just three, courtesy of Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham.

Sunderland are actually scoring more goals per game this season than last (1.55 against 1.48), but the increased competition in the Championship is proving a greater challenge to keep up with.

The Black Cats should be commended for their youthful approach to player recruitment, which has served them extremely well in the last couple of years, but there is a balance that can be struck to maintain competitiveness.

A more experienced and proven arrival in January should be sought, and these recent comments suggest Mowbray, who is very hands-off on the transfer side, may be seeking assurances from the club that reinforcements will arrive in the winter window.

Otherwise, Sunderland risk throwing away a great chance at earning a second consecutive top six finish.