Jack Ross’s Sunderland have won one of their last seven League One games while Shankland flies in the Scottish Championship for Ayr United.
Sunderland’s frustrating run of form continued on Friday.
Jack Ross’s side were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Accrington Stanley in front of their own supporters at the Stadium of Light, meaning The Black Cats have won just one of their last seven League One games.
They are now 12 points adrift of Luton Town at the top of the table, although they do have two games in hand. As long as this mid-season nadir goes on, however, Sunderland’s hopes of an immediate return to the Championship will remain under threat.
And, to make matters worse for a side who have developed a worrying failure to kill off the opposition, a striker Sunderland wanted to sign in January has now scored 30 goals this season.
The Daily Record claimed in December that Sunderland were one of 20 clubs interested in the prolific Ayr United talisman Lawrence Shankland, who is out of contract at the end of the season and apparently valued at just £400,000 in January.
It’s tempting to think that Sunderland would have turned a few of those recent draws into wins if they had signed a centre-forward who has scored a goal a game on average this season, his 30 strikes coming in 30 games.
Shankland will be a free agent in July but it might be too late for Sunderland by then.
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