Sunderland will regret not signing ‘unbelievable’ finisher after 8th goal in 5 games

Ellis Simms of Coventry (9) is celebrating after scoring his team's first goal during the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City at Molineux in Wolverhampton, on March 16, 2024. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Sunderland lost Ross Stewart to injury over a year ago now, but still haven’t added a proven Championship goalscorer to their squad since. The Scot left for a hefty £10 million price tag on transfer deadline day and the Black Cats were expected to fill the void with that cash, however they instead brought in Nazariy Rusyn, Mason Burstow, Luis Hemir Semedo and Eliezer Mayenda. The club were eager to invest in the youth and that had so far worked with the likes of Dan Ballard and Jack Clarke, but purchasing four strikers that hadn’t played a single minute of English football hasn’t really worked out. Sunderland have endured two transfer windows without a proven striker and have been linked with a long list of forwards – including the likes of Kieffer Moore and Tom Cannon – who they have failed to land.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Coventry City - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final

One former target who is now proving himself against Premier League is Ellis Simms, who netted a brace against Wolves yesterday to take Coventry City through to the FA Cup semi-finals. The ‘unbelievable’ striker spent the first half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Sunderland and claimed nine goal contributions in 17 games in the Championship – six of which came in his final eight games before he was recalled by Everton. The Black Cats were eager to bring Simms back on a permanent basis in the summer but faced heavy competition for his signature, but they had to pull out of the race as they couldn’t afford his £8 million price tag. It certainly seemed extremely expensive at the time, but his recent success for Coventry is a bitter pill to swallow for Sunderland. Simms only scored two goals in his first 25 matches for the Sky Blues, but he has since found his feet and now has 15 goal contributions in his last 18 games in all competitions. The 23-year-old bagged his first hat-trick in their 5-0 win over Maidstone United last month, before picking up yet another against Rotherham United a week later. After claiming six goals in his previous four games, Simms took it to another level when he scored twice in a dramatic 3-2 win at Molineux Stadium yesterday. CoventryLive gave Simms a whopping 10 rating after his impressive display, which has helped take Mark Robins’ side to Wembley Stadium. His form has also contributed to Coventry’s push up the Championship table, where they now sit only four points from the playoffs – eight points above Sunderland. Everton demanded a hefty fee for Simms’ services, but there was no denying that the Black Cats could have afford it after Stewart was sold. It’s not to say the club should have definitely forked out money to bring him back to the Stadium of Light, but it is incredibly frustrating seeing a player impress so much while we are unable to find the net on a regular basis. Like Kieffer Moore – who has six in ten games – it is another decision that reflects badly on Kyril-Louis Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman.

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