Sunderland must focus on adding 'more quality' to their squad in the closing stages of the January transfer window, according to Stephen Elliott.

The Black Cats have endured an inconsistent season so far as they struggle to keep the pace with the League One promotion race.

Lee Johnson's side have real work to do if they're going to challenge for automatic promotion this term, however they are firmly in the mix for a spot in the play-offs following the weekend's victory over Shrewsbury Town.

Of course there are plenty of games still to play, and according to the former forward, the focus for the Wearsiders has to be on adding to the squad in order to aid their consistency on the pitch.

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Elliott said: "The lack of quality in the second half (against Shrewsbury) will worry Lee Johnson but the main thing was getting the win.
"I have no doubt that there are movements behind the scenes in trying to add some more quality to the squad. However, in the meantime Sunderland need to somehow find a way to continue to pick up points regularly.
"Automatic promotion may be too much of an ask but looking at the league table there are a host of teams vying for those play-off positions.
He added: "I still feel Sunderland need a bit more quality added to the squad to be capable of doing this.
"In the immediate future Johnson needs to find the right formula to get his team playing like we saw in Saturday’s opening half hour, starting at Portman Road tonight."

Quiz: Have any of these 22 players ever been in Sunderland’s academy?

 

The Verdict It's set to be a big few days for Sunderland. The Black Cats will certainly be looking to add quality to the first team squad, but of course, that could be easier said than done. Lee Johnson may have to be patient as he looks at potential arrivals, but if they can sign one or two before deadline day, I'm sure he'll be very happy.