Chris Coleman’s attacking options are limited to say the least, with the Black Cats having needlessly sanctioned an early sale for their sole senior man.
James Vaughan’s Sunderland career was an unmitigated disaster and he has headed back to League One with his tail between his legs.
The forward was signed from Bury in the summer for a relatively sizeable fee and handed the club’s number nine shirt, but he never effectively led the line and scored just twice.
And so, with Sunderland rooted to the bottom of the Championship, Vaughan dropped back down to the third tier with Wigan Athletic last week.
Few Black Cats fans were complaining at news of Vaughan’s departure, but the timing of the move now seems utterly bizarre as Chris Coleman faces a second consecutive league game without a senior striker.
Lewis Grabban returned to parent club Bournemouth earlier in the window, meaning Vaughan’s exit left Josh Maja, the teenager, as Sunderland’s only option in attack.
Vaughan may well have looked lost in the Championship, but sanctioning a transfer without first lining up a replacement has placed an awful lot of pressure on Maja.
The Chronicle reported on Thursday that moves for both Ben Woodburn and Jon Walters had collapsed, and Sunderland supporters will be wary of facing Hull City in Saturday’s crunch clash with the same youthful front line that failed to lay a glove on Cardiff City.
It is becoming increasingly clear that time is running out for the Black Cats, regardless of any January business, and they simply cannot afford to write off another key match.
Vaughan was considered good enough for the Championship in the summer, so surely Sunderland could have used him in the coming weeks – even if he left in the final days of the window.
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