Sunderland have started to turn their fortunes around in recent weeks, winning two of their last three games and climbing back up to ninth in League One. 

It looks like it could be an important January window for the Black Cats, with Phil Parkinson able to shape his squad after joining the club in October.

According to The Sun, Sunderland are interested in taking out-of-favour Bristol City defender Bailey Wright on loan for the rest of the season.

The centre-back has made 83 appearances for the Robins since he joined from Preston North End in January 2017 but has slipped down the pecking order at Ashton Gate recently.

The Australia international has made just three league appearances in the 2019/20 campaign and has not featured since November.

But would the addition of Wright be a smart signing for the Black Cats? We put a spotlight on the Australian defender's performances this season to examine just that.

Wright has made three Championship appearances for the Robins this season but has not lasted the full 90 minutes once and was substituted at half-time against West Bromwich Albion, his most recent appearance.

The 27-year-old's lack of opportunities is in part due to the quality of the centre-backs above him at Ashton Gate, with Tomas Kalas, Taylor Moore and Ashley Williams all seemingly preferred to Wright.

When he has been given a chance, Wright has been relatively shaky and not inspired much confidence. Defensively, City have been suspect this season, conceding 40 goals, and in many ways, the centre-back's performances have reflected that.

His reading of the game has been passable and has helped him to make an average of 3.89 interceptions and 3.41 clearances per 90 minutes.

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However, he has lost possession–either via a lost ground or aerial duel or a misplaced pass–an average of 11.19 times per game this season, which is a really poor statistic and indicates that he has repeatedly struggled to keep up with the pace of the game.

Wright has also been poor at dealing with balls in the air, winning just 50% of his aerial duels in the Championship this season. That is not something he will be able to avoid in League One and certainly a cause for concern for Sunderland.

Given the Robins expansive, passing-based style of play, it is unsurprising to see that the defender has an impressive pass success rate of 85.1%. That should help him at Sunderland, who will be hoping to be in the ascendancy and to dominate possession in the majority of games they play.

A fresh start may be just what the Australian needs but in all honesty, a defender with question marks over his ability is not what Sunderland need right now. It certainly could work out but there is definitely risk involved and this looks a move that the Black Cats should avoid.