Sunderland defender Tom Flanagan has told Chronicle Live that he believes that the club need to sign a few players during the upcoming January transfer window.
The Black Cats are currently well in the promotion race in Sky Bet League One at present and have also experienced a good run in the Carabao Cup so far this season as they continue to improve under Lee Johnson.
However the club's ongoing injury problems have worsened recently, with it being revealed recently that Nathan Broadhead is set to be sidelined for up to three months, after the forward destined a hamstring injury in a recent cup game against Arsenal.
With this in mind, Flanagan has now called for the club to act accordingly in the transfer market in order for the Black Cats to have the best chance of getting promoted this term:
"We need a few players in my personal opinion.
"We need some other players to get us where we want, people might not like to hear that but ultimately I want the best players at the club because I want to be promoted with this club."
Sunderland have already been linked with a few strikers already this season and are now sure to be ramping up their attempts to bring one to the Stadium of Light following the blow sustained by Broadhead.
Meanwhile Johnson is sure to also be eyeing improvements to other areas of his team in order to counteract the threat of player burnout, especially given the current congested fixture list.
The Verdict
The business that Sunderland go on to conduct in January could well prove to be crucial towards their chances of getting out of third tier in the long run.
They have performed well in the grand scheme of things but injuries are starting to threaten their chances of sustaining this good run of form.
For that reason Johnson will need to use the window to his advantage as he seeks to bring in players who can make an instant impact.
If they can sign a player that could hit double figures for goals in the second half of the campaign, Sunderland will be in with a great chance of getting promoted.