The scenario
After quite possibly the worst start they could have had, it’s quite clear that Sunderland need reinforcements to climb out of the relegation zone and avoid two successive drops to the lower division. Though the side will be buoyed by their recent win over fellow strugglers Hull City, the task at hand is pretty clear.
Interest in signing Chris Martin
As per one of the latest reports by Sky Sports, Sunderland have apparently agreed to sign Derby County’s out-of-favour striker, Chris Martin. The Black Cats have found it hard to score goals on a regular basis, thus, leading to the current situation they find themselves in. They do need goals in the coming months, and are thus eyeing Martin.
The Rams have recently concluded the signing of Cameron Jerome from Norwich City, which implies that Gary Rowett has the likes of Jerome, David Nugent, Darren Bent and Sam Winnall in his ranks to cater to his goal-scoring needs. Thus, Martin has fallen behind in the pecking order and is unlikely to get too many opportunities to thrive this season at Derby County.
Chris Martin – Fact file
Chris Coleman’s interest to sign Martin makes a lot of sense. He is someone who has volumes of experience of English football under his belt. He has plied his trade with sides such as Norwich City, Luton Town, Crystal Palace and Fulham, apart from Derby County of course, and is more than a decent attacker to have in the ranks of a Championship side.
So far this season, he has been handed merely 5 starts by Rowett in the league, apart from 18 appearances off the bench. But he has been far from being an appealing commodity as he has been able to muster merely 1 goal so far. He is desperate to resurrect his career and a move away from the Pride Park Stadium should help him in doing the same.
What will he bring?
The 29-year-old is good at holding the ball in the final third, something which is really very important in English football and is quite an aggressive player. His movements on and off the ball are quite decent too and he is clinical when he is given the pat of confidence from his manager.
However, he is not the quickest and is not a poacher and given that he is really struggling at the moment, he would certainly not be a ground-shattering signing for Coleman’s side. Sunderland do need to make some more quality additions. Nonetheless, a loan deal should be an ideal move for all the interested parties.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
