Sunderland ended their four-year stay in League One by defeating Wycombe 2-0 in the play-off final at Wembley last month.
The Black Cats will now play in the Championship for the first time since the 2017/18 campaign and will be looking to avoid dropping straight back down to the third tier.
Kristjaan Speakman will be working hard to build Alex Neil a squad capable of competing in the league next year as they attempt to bridge the gap in quality between the division.
One of the club’s biggest successes last summer was the signing of Nathan Broadhead on loan from Premier League side Everton.
The Welshman was sublime for the club throughout the season as he managed an impressive ten goals in 15 starts whilst playing up front and out wide.
Speakman is now tasked with either signing the forward for a second spell or replacing him with a new signing. The Daily Mail recently claimed that Sunderland are one of a number of Championship clubs hoping to land Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer on loan.
Should Sunderland sign Archer?
By securing a deal to sign the 20-year-old attacker, the Black Cats chief and Neil can find Broadhead 2.0 as he would be a talented loanee from the Premier League with the potential to make a big impact in the final third next season.
Preston boss Ryan Lowe heaped praise on the gem last term, saying: “Cameron has got an abundance of talent. His quality levels are fantastic, he’s bullish, strong, he can roll, he has got that little burst of pace too.”
He was also dubbed a “goal machine” by VillaView host Ty Bracey and his record in 2021/22 backs up that claim as he caught the eye for Villa and Preston.
Archer managed four goals in two League Cup games and six goals in four EFL Trophy matches for his parent club before sealing a loan move to Deepdale in January. The dynamo then produced seven goals and one assist in 18 starts in the Championship for the midtable club.
This meant that he ended the season with 18 goal contributions in 24 matches – an outstanding return from the 20-year-old phenomenon.
Therefore, he has the potential to explode in the second tier next term as he has shown that he has the quality to find the back of the net on a regular basis at senior level, just like Broadhead did in League One for the Black Cats.
Neil and Speakman must now work hard to beat off competition to land a loan for the England U21 international as he would be an excellent addition to the team.
