New Sunderland boss Chris Coleman took charge of his first game last night but it didn't lead to a positive result, with the Wearside club losing 2-1 away to Aston Villa.

They are now four points from safety and remain bottom of the league. What's more, that gap could be extended tonight with Birmingham travelling to Middlesbrough for their game in hand.

Overall, things are very bleak for Black Cats fans although the appointment of Coleman has brought some optimism.

However, the club have been in a dire situation for years and there is the real fear that things could get a lot worse before they get better with back-to-back relegations looking a possibility.

Of course, Coleman will be doing all he can to prevent that and he will have to be smart in the January transfer window to bring in the right players.

The former Wales boss has already revealed that he will be working on a very restricted budget. Therefore, he will be looking to sell before he can buy.

Here we look at three players Coleman must axe in the window.

 

Lamine Kone

Shifting the Ivory Coast international will be tough as he was ruled out for up to ten weeks in early November which would take us into the January window.

But, they have to do all they can to get rid of him. Kone had a great spell for the club as they survived under Sam Allardyce but since signing a bumper five-year deal in 2016 he has been abysmal and his attitude stinks.

The hope is that the previous form he has shown will encourage someone to take a chance on him.

With over three-and-a-half years left on his deal, which includes a hefty wage, Coleman will be desperate to free up some funds by getting rid of a big earner.

Didier Ndong

Following on from that, Dider Ndong is another who needs to be axed given Sunderland's financial situation.

The club-record £13.6m signing also has just over three-and-a-half years to go on his mega-money deal and they need to cash in on him if they can.

Again, the issue will be the fee as no club will understandably go near the ridiculous amount that Sunderland paid back on deadline day in 2016 for the 'new Michael Essien'.

So, they'll have to compromise and taking a big loss on a player in just over a year won't look good, but that's just the way it is.

Offloading Ndong won't cause much harm to the team and it gives Coleman that little bit more to work with in the market.

Jason Steele

He only joined in the summer but Jason Steele's short career at Sunderland should be over in January.

Quite simply, Chris Coleman has to sign a keeper in January and the fact they've been linked heavily with Danny Ward is very encouraging news for Sunderland fans.

Whether he comes in or it's someone else, Steele will then become third choice at the Stadium of Light given that Robbin Ruiter has been preferred to him in recent matches, including last night.

And, when you consider the mistakes that the Dutch keeper made against Millwall on Saturday it shows they have zero confidence in Steele after they didn't bring him back in.

A move will benefit all in parties in the next window.

Thoughts, Sunderland fans? Let us know in the comments below.