Sunderland may have to offload players if they're to strengthen the first team squad in the January transfer window, according to Phil Smith.

The Black Cats have endured a difficult start to the new season and currently find themselves sitting in ninth position in the League One table after 15 fixtures.

As a result a change has been made to the head coach's role with Phil Parkinson being replaced by Lee Johnson in the hotseat.

Having won one of his two matches so far, Johnson will soon be turning his attention to the transfer market as he identifies areas where his squad needs to be improved.

Unfortunately due to the wage cap in the third tier it will be difficult for Sunderland to recruit new players, and according to Smith of the Sunderland Echo, it may be a case of offloading players before bringing anyone in.

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Writing for the Sunderland Echo, Smith said: "If my calculations are right, Sunderland have one space left in their 22-man squad for the season.
"So that means they can add one player over the age of 21 before they would be forced to let players go in order to bring others in.
"I suspect they are very close to the cap in terms of their salaries, and so major investment is going to be difficult.
"Of course, the loan market could become a very attractive option. Johnson has already said that he wants some pace, and that he does not necessarily mind if it is a little bit raw.
"He has good connections with Premier League clubs and used the market well at Bristol City, so I’m sure that is one route that he will consider." The Verdict There's no doubt that Lee Johnson will want to put his own stamp on the Sunderland squad, and rightly so. However it seems that doing so could be particularly difficult due to the salary cap. That means that Johnson has just a few weeks to make a decision on the players in the Black Cats' first team set-up as he may need to ship some out before he can sign any of his own.