The Gillingham striker was seemingly on the Black Cats’ radar but no move materialised.
Over January, Sunderland’s front line suffered some disruption as Josh Maja’s contract saga culminated in a move away to Bordeaux, while Jerome Sinclair left after his loan from Watford was cut short.
According to Sky Sports News, the Black Cats were keeping tabs on Gillingham striker Tom Eaves with a view to a move, but nothing materialised, with Kazaiah Sterling joining on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and Will Grigg arriving in a permanent switch from Wigan Athletic.
Grigg’s arrival came to much fanfare, becoming the most expensive signing in League One history when he completed a £4m move (The Northern Echo) but he has not exactly hit the ground running at the Stadium of Light, with no goals to his name as of yet (Transfermarkt).
On Tuesday night, Sunderland host the Gills hoping for victory after three consecutive League One draws, but they will be up against a tall, bustling striker who has 15 goals to his name in the league this term (Transfermarkt).
Eaves is out of contract at Priestfield at the end of the season and given his form combined with his relatively young age, the 27-year-old would surely have been earmarked for a move in a higher league, so Sunderland could have missed a great opportunity to snap up a high-calibre player at just the right time.
There is no doubt that Grigg is a talented player and, given he grabbed an assist against Accrington Stanley last time out, it hopefully won’t be long before he’s on fire again, but could Eaves make the Black Cats regret not signing him by dealing their automatic promotion hopes a further blow this evening?
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