Sunderland and Lee Johnson will be desperate to try and finally seal a promotion into the Championship this season and the boss may have to bring in some new signings to help them do so.

They have a strong side already, with goals from the likes of Ross Stewart and Nathan Broadhead and creativity from the likes of Aiden McGeady.

However, the boss may fancy adding even more new faces to the team in order to allow him to greater rotate his team more regularly and the club can then ensure they can compete at the top for the remainder of the campaign. It isn't just signings that Johnson and Sunderland need to think about though, as they may need to send some players out to bring some in.

Ahead of the winter window then, what decisions does Lee Johnson need to make in terms of transfers?

 

 

Do Sunderland sign Georgie Kelly or look elsewhere with other teams interested?

Sunderland want a striker, especially considering the recent injury to Nathan Broadhead. One player that they are believed to be keen to sign, as reported by Football Insider, is Georgie Kelly of Bohemians.

They aren't the only team keen to do business for him though, with Wigan and Preston of the Championship also believed to be prepared to sign the forward. It means that if they want to try and seal a deal for him, Lee Johnson may have to try and make a bid early in the winter transfer window.

There's likely to be even more forwards that become available when the window opens its doors though, so it's a question of whether Lee Johnson wants to try and sign Kelly in particular or whether he would be more willing to let him move elsewhere.

Kelly has a solid record but is inexperienced in League One and the EFL - it means there are question marks over his ability perhaps and the club could instead choose to bring in a more experienced striker.

Could Sunderland sell some squad players to bring in more fresh faces?

There are a few players currently at the Stadium of Light that are out of contract in the summer - and there are no deals on the table yet.

It means the club may have to consider who they want to keep on at the club - and who to tie down to fresh terms - and who they can instead sell on now to get some cash for them.

Aiden O'Brien, Lynden Gooch, Aiden McGeady and Tom Flanagan are just four of the players whose deals all run out at the end of the campaign and Lee Johnson will need to consider who he feels he needs for the remainder of the campaign and who he could flog now.

If there's a chance to cash-in now on certain players who he doesn't see as having any future at Sunderland, then it could be worth fetching a transfer fee for them now. The question then for Johnson is, who does he consider to not be important and who could he sell?