Sunderland had a very positive summer transfer window and the first nine matches of the season looked to have an early promotion written all over them.

Obviously things have changed since then with the Black Cats having a bit of a downturn in form in League One but it doesn't change the fact that the club's recruitment before the end of August looked positive - there were still a few gaps though that could do with addressing.

The one major hole they seem to have is at the top end of the pitch, where Ross Stewart desperately needs some assistance.

Charlie Wyke departed for Wigan Athletic before the season began and the only forward to arrive on Wearside was Everton's Nathan Broadhead, but he has featured just five times in the league and has not made the desired impact.

Broadhead is also one of those strikers that is also comfortable playing wide and it is more of an out-and-out striker that Sunderland need in January to either rotate with or compliment Stewart.

And whilst Lee Johnson has preferred to look up the footballing pyramid towards the development squads of Premier League sides and experienced Championship players for his signings lately, there is a hot-shot in the Vanarama National League who could be perfect for Sunderland.

His name is Kabongo Tshimanga, and he's currently ripping the fifth tier of English football up for Chesterfield who currently sit atop the table - and the 24-year-old's goals have certainly assisted the Spirites' position.

A graduate of the MK Dons academy, Tshimanga left the League One side in 2017 and has played for a few non-league clubs - those being Boston United, Oxford City and Boreham Wood and it was his 38 goals in 79 appearances for the latter that saw Chesterfield come in for him in August.

It's proved to be money well spent as the Kinshasa-born striker has scored 16 goals in as many games this season and his current form reads seven goals in his last five matches, including a hat-trick against Weymouth this past weekend.

Standing at just under six feet tall, Tshimanga isn't exactly an aerial threat but he can put himself about and he seems to be an all-rounder of a striker, which is what Sunderland could do with for the second half of the season.

Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has money and plenty of it, so Sunderland could make a statement by splashing out on however much would tempt Chesterfield to let go of their prized asset in January.

There's likely to be other Football League clubs interested in Tshimanga and it remains to be seen if he could handle it in League One, but he's clearly worth a punt on his goalscoring form in the last few years.