Chris Coleman saw his Sunderland side fall to a 2-1 defeat in his first game in charge at Aston Villa last night.

The defeat keeps the Black Cats bottom of the table and they are already four points from safety. That gap could be increased tonight as well, with 21st placed Birmingham travelling to Middlesbrough for their game in hand.

The former Wales manager will already be aware of how big a challenge this is for him. A losing culture has engulfed the club over the years and Coleman will be counting down the days until January when he can bring some new players in.

Even though he has openly stated he will be working with a restricted budget, there will be some room for the 47-year old to make changes.

Here our writers look at some realistic targets Coleman should have in mind...

George Dagless

The Ward and Woodburn rumours sound good for Sunderland.

They need young and hungry players who have everything to prove if they are to get out of trouble.

Many of their players just turn up and take their money so I think the likes of Danny Ward and Ben Woodburn would be ideal.

Alfie Burns

Personnel wise, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Coleman use his connections from Wales and bring some of his former national players to the Stadium of Light, and one player I think he should be prioritising is Danny Ward.

Ward should be available on-loan from Liverpool, and the Welsh goalkeeper would be a better option to Coleman than Jason Steele or Robbin Ruiter.

Neither have been able to hold down a starting berth this season at the Stadium of Light, and it is certainly a weak area.

Sam Rourke

Sunderland desperately need reinforcements.

And for me, one of the main priorities should be a striker to help relieve some of the pressure on Lewis Grabban.

Someone like James Wilson on loan - The Man Utd man would be a great signing!

Adam Simeoni

He needs defenders, because Sunderland's form at the back is nothing short of shocking.

Going forward they are scoring a lot of goals, so there isn't much of an issue there. Goalkeeper Danny Ward would be a start, and then a couple of solid defensive additions could make all the difference.