Sunderland could do with a reliable goalscorer but summer target Cameron Jerome has hardly filled that bill for Norwich City this season.
Even in today’s transfer market, reports in The Sun that it might have taken offers of £6 million to convince Norwich City to part with Cameron Jerome raised eyebrows.
Yet, the 31-year-old is a proven goalscorer at Championship level on paper – and that could be the difference between survival and relegation, reaching the play-offs or finishing in mid-table.
Therefore, reports in The Sun that Sunderland were battling Nottingham Forest for Jerome made perfect sense. The Black Cats were crying out for a goalscorer after Jermain Defoe departed following their relegation and Jerome, who has been promoted to the Premier League three times with Norwich and Birmingham, looked like a ‘safe pair of hands’ in attack even at an inflated fee.
After all, he had scored 34 goals in his two most recent Championship campaigns.
However, it appears that Jerome has a lot to do to continue that impressive track record this season. He has failed to score in six Championship appearances since Daniel Farke arrived at Carrow Road and missed a glorious chance to open his account in the goalless draw with Bristol City on Saturday.
Sunderland are struggling badly at the wrong end of the table, going eight games without a win and scoring just four goals in that time, but there’s little justification in suggesting that the cash-strapped Cats should have broken the bank to bring the out-of-sorts Jerome to the Stadium of Light.
On form, Jerome could have fired them up the table. But, as thing stand, he’s scored fewer goals than both Lewis Grabban and James Vaughan in 2017/18.
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