"Not consistent enough" - Sunderland told to add competition for Patrick Roberts in January | OneFootball

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit believes that the club should add to their attacking options during the transfer window.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sunderland have put themselves in a position where they can push for promotion back to the Premier League this season, so Regis Le Bris will no doubt be hoping that he can strengthen his squad during the January transfer window.

The Black Cats have impressed in the Championship so far this term with a relatively young squad, and having ended a six-game winless run with a 2-1 victory against Stoke City on the weekend, before drawing with Bristol City on Tuesday night, they are currently just two points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

Le Bris will want to make the most of the five games that lie ahead of Sunderland in the lead-up to January, because if his side can stay within touching distance of the top two, then the Frenchman could be allowed to bolster his squad during what will be a vitally important transfer window on Wearside.

Le Bris will surely want to strengthen Sunderland in January

We asked our Sunderland fan pundit, Jack Austwicke, which one transfer demand he expects Le Bris to issue to the club's hierarchy during the upcoming January transfer window.

"Well, apparently our manager has asked for a bolstering of the attack, which I can understand," said Jack.

"I think we need a right-winger to compete with Roberts, as he hasn't performed too well this season - not consistent enough.

"I feel like he is quite comfortable in his position. There are a lot of players who could be dropped easily for a replacement, but with Roberts, there is no one really who can come in for him.

"Maybe we need someone who is going to compete with him and challenge him for a spot, as right now we don't have that.

"I think that's what they'll be looking for in January."

Roberts could benefit from having someone to compete with for a place in the starting lineup.

The winger has created the most chances and provided the most assists for Sunderland in the Championship this season, but there have been some games where he has not produced the level of performance that he has shown he is capable of.

If the Black Cats bring in another right-winger to compete with the former Manchester City man, then it would give Le Bris the option to switch things up if they are not working against certain opponents, which would in turn keep Roberts on his toes and push him to add more consistency to his game.

It will be very interesting to see what Sunderland do during the upcoming transfer window because with the position that they have put themselves in during the first half of the campaign, they have a real opportunity to back Le Bris in January and make a serious push for promotion.