Michael Beale has been announced as the new Sunderland head coach, becoming Tony Mowbray’s successor at the Stadium of Light after the latter was relieved from his duties a fortnight ago.
The ex-Rangers boss is taking over at a good time, with the Black Cats currently sitting sixth in the Championship table and have winnable fixtures on the near horizon against Coventry City, Hull City and Rotherham United.
However, Beale’s first point of action will be to fix the side’s goalscoring woes up top and the upcoming January transfer window offers him the perfect opportunity to do just that.
Sunderland transfer news – Striker hunt for Beale
It was previously reported by TEAMtalk that Sunderland were one of a whole host of clubs in the Championship and League One who are keeping tabs on AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi ahead of the winter window, with the Iraq international having an excellent season in front of a goal once again.
The Tyneside club have been struggling up top this term and are ranked 12th in England’s second tier for goals scored. In contrast, only three teams found the net more times than the Black Cats last season as Mowbray’s men made a push for the promotion places.
While Ross Stewart picked up a nasty season-ending injury back in January, the Scottish centre-forward was still Sunderland’s second-highest goalscorer in the previous campaign with 12 goals in all competitions. The club failed to adequately replace Stewart’s goals after letting him leave for promotion rivals Southampton during the summer for £10m.
Nevertheless, Al-Hamadi could be a great option for the Northeast club as the centre-forward will reportedly cost just £1.5m.
Ali Al-Hamadi’s stats this season
There are currently five centre-forwards in Beale’s ranks: Mason Burstow, Nazariy Rusyn, Eliezer Mayenda, Jewison Bennette and Hemir Semedo. However, all five have failed to score a single goal for Sunderland this campaign, leaving the burden of finding the net heavily on the shoulders of 23-year-old Jack Clarke.
Clarke is Sunderland’s top scorer and the joint-third-most prolific player in the Championship this season, having scored ten goals in 22 league appearances. Given Sunderland have scored just 32 goals as a team, the winger has been solely responsible for 31% of the side’s total goals this term.
Al-Hamadi could help ease this burden from Clarke. In all competitions, the 21-year-old has converted 13 chances in 23 matches, including ten in League Two as Johnnie Jackson’s side are pushing for a playoff spot.
Furthermore, Al-Hamadi has been the most prolific player in this campaign for Wimbledon, hence why the fourth-tier outfit are looking for a seven-figure sum to let him leave in January.
Compared to the rest of Sunderland’s strikers, Al-Hamadi’s statistics this season are levels above and would instantly improve Beale’s forward line.
Al-Hamadi vs Sunderland Strikers – 2023/24 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Games | Goals | Shots | Assists |
Ali Al-Hamadi | 23 | 13 | 60 | 6 |
Mason Burstow | 11 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
Nazariy Rusyn | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
Jewison Bennette | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Eliezer Mayenda | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Sunderland are in a good position right now with a new manager coming on board and are primed to finish in the top six. However, an injury to Clarke could completely derail the team’s season given how relied-upon the Englishman is.
Al-Hamadi would ease a lot of pressure off Clarke and allow him to focus on getting assists too, having recorded just one this season. As such, he’d undeniably be a dream first move for the new boss next month. Sunderland need more goals and the Dons star would add just that.
