Ross McCormack is both expensive and painfully out of form – but could still swap Aston Villa for Sunderland this summer
Sunderland have waited all summer for a striker and two could now come along at once.
TEAMtalk report that The Black Cats have agreed a deal to sign Lewis Grabban on loan from Bournemouth for the upcoming campaign while The Mail reports that they have opened talks to land Ross McCormack from Aston Villa too.
Like Grabban, who starred in the Championship for Norwich and Bournemouth, McCormack is a proven lower-league hitman who could be called upon to replace the goals for Jermain Defoe in Sunderland’s attack.
Is Ross McCormack worth the risk?
However, reports that Sunderland may be edging closer to a deal may come as a surprise. The Nortern Echo reported recently that Aston Villa did not want to sell McCormack on the cheap despite a disastrous 2016/17 season which totalled just three goals in claret and blue and a solitary strike on loan at Nottingham Forest.
After all, they paid a hefty £12 million to sign the Scot from Fulham just 12 months earlier. And the report added that his £50,000-a-week wages may also be an issue.
Therefore, should a cash-strapped, debt ridden club really risk using a large portion of their limited budget to sign a 30-year-old striker on the back of the worst season of his career?
However, reports in the Mail that Sunderland could sign McCormack on a season-long loan, rather than a permanent deal, should make the club’s decision much easier.
Low risk, high rewards
Without having to spend a penny in transfer fees, McCormack now appears to be a low-risk signing with the potential for huge rewards. There’s a reason why Villa paid so much for his services just a year ago, after all.
Since the 2008/09 season, McCormack has scored more than 15 league goals in five seasons for three different clubs; Cardiff, Leeds and Fulham. A similar output at Sunderland could put them right in the play-off mix next season.
And, even if McCormack fails to rediscover his golden touch, Sunderland can cart him off back to Villa with barely a dent in their transfer budget.
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