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Sunderland managed to finally get back to the Championship at the end of last season after spending four years in League One.

One figure in the Wearside club’s squad that played a massive part in getting the Black Cats promoted was Ross Stewart.

In 49 league appearances, including the play-offs, the striker found the net 26 times in total, as well as providing five assists for his teammates.

Taking this into account, it’s safe to say that without the striker at their disposal, there’s a strong chance that Sunderland would have been facing another year in League One.

Alex Neil now has a Championship campaign to help guide the club through and the current summer window will give him the chance to make sure his squad has what it takes to attack the season in the best way they can.

One figure the club have been linked with that give Neil the chance to form what would be a very dangerous duo alongside Stewart is Ravel Morrison.

After playing for numerous clubs across England and abroad, Morrison, who is now a free agent having spent last season with Derby County.

During his time with the Rams, where he was picking up a weekly wage of £4.7k-per-week, the attacking midfielder scored four goals and delivered four assists in 35 Championship appearances.

To further highlight how much of a useful attacking figure he was for the Midlands club, only Tom Lawrence racked up more shots at goal (101) in the campaign than Morrison (66).

The Jamaican also ended the season with the joint-third highest average of key passes per game (1) at Derby according to WhoScored.

Having been described as an “unpredictable” player by former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, Morrison showed last season just how much of a capable attacking and creative figure he can be in the Championship.

This, therefore, would make him a useful and cheaper option for the Black Cats to add to their ranks this summer before the season kicks off.

If Sunderland were able to secure a deal for the player and get him firing on all cylinders alongside Stewart, this could give the club a great chance of having a successful season in the Championship.

AND in other news: Offer expected: SAFC plotting bid to sign “fearless” gem, he’d be a huge Evans upgrade

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper wants to sign Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, according to a fresh transfer claim.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White linked with Forest

The future of the 22-year-old has been a big talking point of late, with his current club offering him a new deal but the youngster unsure of what his next move should be.

Forest are one of the clubs who are thought to be in the conversation to sign Gibbs-White this summer, with the midfielder enjoying an excellent loan spell at Sheffield United last term.

It is a saga which could rumble on, but it seems clear that Cooper sees him as a primary target.

The Latest: Positive update emerges

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Jacques Talbot confirmed that the Forest manager wants to sign Gibbs-White ahead of the start of the new season, having worked with him at Swansea City.

The reporter stated:

“I think especially with Gibbs-White, there’s something there.

“And you look at Gibbs-White, and you look at his great relationship with Steve Cooper, who worked together at Swansea, and the player wants to move, and Steve Cooper wants to bring him in.”

The Verdict: Perfect Forest target

Gibbs-Whites could be a fantastic signing by Forest, possessing a huge amount of natural ability and waiting to explode as a regular for a Premier League side.

The 22-year-old’s technical ability and end product from midfield are assets that Cooper will believe can take his team up a gear – he scored 12 goals and chipped in with 10 assists in the Championship last season – and he would also represent a long-term acquisition at the City Ground.

The reports that Wolves are keen to keep hold of Gibbs-White say a lot about his quality, and Forest could be signing a gem of a player if they manage to get a deal over the line.

Tottenham Hotspur’s next priority in the transfer window has been revealed after they secured their sixth signing of the summer in Djed Spence…

What’s the word?

The north Londoners finally announced the arrival of the England U21 international on a five-year deal from Championship outfit Middlesbrough on Tuesday morning. He joins the likes of Richarlison, Yves Bissouma and Ivan Perisic as Antonio Conte’s new arrivals.

Now, it’s thought that their attention will turn to offloading their fringe players, just a few weeks before the start of the new Premier League season. And it could begin with Japhet Tanganga securing a loan move to Serie A champions AC Milan.

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“It looks like [Japhet] Tanganga is getting closer to an exit, but I think this needs to become Tottenham’s priority now and I think it will,” claimed transfer insider Dean Jones to GIVEMESPORT.

“The most pressing matters were to get players in through the door, so they knew what their squad was going to be, and now their next focus will be on getting these fringe players out of the door.”

Deadwood exodus

The Lilywhites have now returned from their pre-season trip to South Korea but there was already a telling sign as Conte left several stars at home in a bid to resolve their futures.

These included club-record flops Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, the long-serving academy graduate Harry Winks and former Real Madrid dynamo Sergio Reguilon, among others.

The Athletic believe that Spurs have been in talks with other clubs over the unwanted quartet and the Italian head coach is only keen to work with players that feature in his plans, so it seems as if there is no chance that any of the four have a future at Hotspur Way.

Even Bryan Gil and Pape Matar Sarr made the squad.

Many supporters around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be glad to see the back of several of these names, particularly that of Ndombele and Lo Celso as neither stepped up to the mark despite costing in the region of £55m.

The Argentine was touted as a replacement for Christian Eriksen but in the three years he’s been at the club, he has delivered only eight goals and six assists from 84 appearances. Likewise with the Frenchman, who has provided 19 goal contributions across 91 matches.

Therefore, fans should be buzzing by this latest update from Jones as it’s clear that sporting director Fabio Paratici will now try to move on the deadwood, something that will only benefit the club going forward.

Spurs’ nightmare over these two £55m duds is one step closer to being over, at long last.

AND in other news, “I spoke to a contact..”: Transfer insider drops Spurs claim, Conte will be fuming…

Journalist Paul Brown of The Daily Star has now made an exciting West Ham United transfer claim involving Lille starlet Amadou Onana.

The Lowdown: Irons in talks…

As reported, manager David Moyes and the Hammers have been in talks for multiple players this summer as they reportedly close in on a deal for Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca.

Some journalists like Jacque Talbot have also claimed that there have been discussions for three targets simultaneously with Chelsea forward Armando Broja, Scamacca and Onana all at the centre of West Ham’s interest.

The latter, who is thought to be valued at around £50m by Lille, could arguably be the most difficult transfer to pull off given his seismic price tag and the fact his contract doesn’t expire until 2026 – gifting his side plenty of leeway in negotiations.

The Latest: Brown makes exciting Onana claim…

Perhaps sharing some real hope for Hammers supporters, Brown of The Star has made quite an exciting claim.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the reporter believes Onana wants to join Moyes at West Ham and says it is only a ‘matter of time’ before the transfer could happen.

He explained: “That one seems to have gone a little bit quiet, but he’s a player who seems to want to come to West Ham. I think it’s only a matter of time before it gets done, essentially.”

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The Verdict: Very promising…

The colossal 6 foot 4 midfielder wanting to join West Ham is certainly promising on it’s own and West Ham will be hoping Brown is correct and the transfer is indeed a matter of time.

Still just 20-years-old, the Ligue 1 prodigy has already earned one international cap for a star-studded and very competitive Belgium team.

This could be an indicator of Onana’s quality and real potential, yet it will be interesting to see if Lille and the Premier League side can find middle ground when it comes to reaching an agreement.

The 2022/23 Championship season kicks off on Friday night and Sunderland have endured a slow summer transfer window in the build-up to the opening match.

Alex Neil has brought in Daniel Ballard and Aji Alese on permanent deals from Arsenal and West Ham respectively, whilst also snapping up Jack Clarke and Leon Dajaku after their loan spells last term.

They are yet to make a single addition to their attack outside of players they had in their squad last season and they have lost Nathan Broadhead, who is now back with his parent club Everton.

This means that the Black Cats head into their opening game against Coventry at the weekend with one senior striker on the books – Ross Stewart.

Kristjaan Speakman could land the club their next version of the Scottish goal machine, though, as he is reportedly keen on a deal to snap up Ellis Simms from Everton.

The gem, who played one game for Sunderland’s under-18s earlier in his career, has the potential to be a lethal scorer for the club, after experience in the Premiership and League One.

Stewart found the back of the net nine times in 41 Scottish top-flight games prior to his move to Wearside. Since making the switch to the Stadium of Light, the Scotland international has produced an eye-catching 29 goals in 65 appearances in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Simms scored seven goals in 21 outings for Hearts and managed 10 goals in 22 League One games for Blackpool. Throughout his career at senior and youth level, he has racked up a whopping 75 goals and seven assists in 135 matches, which shows that the phenomenon has the potential to be a consistent scorer for Sunderland.

Toffees reporter Chris Smith once called him a “clinical finisher”, and one of his former coaches John Ebbrell previously hailed his talent in front of goal, saying: “What I do know with Ellis, if he ends up one-vs-one with the goalkeeper, he’s scoring.

“From experience, I know if you have time to think for that finish it can be difficult but Ellis is really calm and composed in those situations. He very rarely misses.”

Simms’ sublime statistics in his short career so far back up these claims and paint the picture of a young player who is ready to settle down at a club on a permanent basis.

Sunderland must now snap him up from the Toffees and offer him the chance to prove that he can be the club’s next Stewart, whilst competing with the Scotsman for a place in the team or possibly playing alongside him.

AND in other news, Neil plotting Sunderland bid for £500k target who “rarely misses”, imagine him & Pritchard…

Tottenham Hotspur may have a ‘boost’ in the chase to sign Roma playmaker Nicolo Zaniolo this summer, according to journalist journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Spurs pursue Zaniolo move…

The Lilywhites are chasing a deal for Zaniolo as manager Antonio Conte and club director Fabio Paratici remain in the market for a creator who can inject some real quality in the final third.

Foot Mercato recently claimed that Spurs are in ongoing talks to sign the 23-year-old, and the door for his exit from Italy will ‘likely open’.

Meanwhile, 90min claimed in late June that Paratici has even offered players in part-exchange for Zaniolo, with Spurs appearing to strongly pursue the player.

The Latest: O’Rourke shares possible Zaniolo ‘boost’…

Speaking to This Is Futbol, journalist O’Rourke claims that the Premier League side hold a ‘boost’ as they continue to attempt Zaniolo’s signing.

The reporter says that the presence of Paratici as Spurs’ managing director could well hand Tottenham an advantage given his strong Serie A connections.

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O’Rourke explained: “It [connection with Italian football] definitely gives them a boost in that potential signing of Zaniolo.

“Spurs have done a lot of their business in Serie A over the last couple of transfer windows, including a couple of signings from Juventus in January. They signed Perišic this summer as well, so it’s a market that Paratici and Conte know very well.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Paratici’s contacts may well hand Spurs a boost in the race for Zaniolo, and we believe that signing the Italy international is worth the effort.

As per WhoScored, the starlet finished 2021/22 as one of Jose Mourinho’s most threatening players, completing more dribbles per 90 than any of his team-mates while attracting the most fouls.

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson also believes that Zaniolo would be an ‘exciting’ signing, and his winning goal in the Europa Conference League final in May indicates that he is capable of rising to the big occasion.

According to reliable journalist Alan Nixon, Nottingham Forest have made Morgan Gibbs-White their ‘main focus’ in the transfer market.

The Lowdown: Reds busy

The 22-year-old Gibbs-White is an academy product of Premier League side Wolves, but spent last season out on loan at Sheffield United in a bid to gain some game time, and his impressive performances at Bramall Lane clearly caught the eye.

The Reds were credited with an interest in the maestro and have been chasing him for most of the current window, though a deal has yet to come to fruition.

The Telegraph recently claimed that it would take £40m for the Midlands outfit to strike a deal with the Wanderers, but they are also pursuing a move for Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis, with The Athletic revealing a bid on Thursday morning.

The Latest: Forest massively keen on Gibbs-White

While the bid for Dennis has just hit the headlines, it appears the priority is still very much Gibbs-White.

Asked by a fan during a Q&A on Twitter whether Forest were any closer to completing moves for Gibbs-White or Josh Bowler, another one of their targets, Nixon simply responded:

“Gibbs-White the main focus …”

The Verdict: Just get it done

Steve Cooper will already be familiar with Gibbs-White having signed him at Swansea during his time at the former Liberty Stadium, while the player also helped dumped the Reds out of the League Cup last year, scoring and creating four chances in a 4-0 demolition by Wolves at the City Ground.

All in all last season, the Stafford-born talent, dubbed ‘sensational’ by sports journalist Josh Bunting, clocked up an outstanding 21 goal contributions in 39 appearances across all competitions for the Blades, via Transfermarkt.

Whilst £40m is a lot for a player still at such a young age, Forest need to bolster their ranks to ensure that they maintain their top-flight status, and the prolific form in the final third that Gibbs-White can offer could do just the job.

Fulham are still in negotiations for a highly-rated European starlet…

What’s the word?

According to journalist Bruno Andrade, Justin Kluivert is still on the radar of Marco Silva and his recruitment staff at Craven Cottage in a potential £8.4m swoop.

Taking to Twitter, Andrade claimed:” Justin Kluivert wants to play in the Premier League and is in negotiation with Fulham, but there is still no agreement with Roma, who ask for 10M € + % of future sale.

“Borrowing is out of the question. It is also targeted in Italy and Germany. Benfica and Sporting probed through intermediaries”.

He could replace Solomon

With the Dutch winger having been linked with Fulham throughout the summer, Silva may look to accelerate this deal after the long-term injury suffered by their summer signing Manor Solomon.

Kluivert enjoyed a mixed spell in France last season, scoring four goals and setting up six during his loan spell with Nice.

He has struggled to truly get his career off the ground despite a few seasons of promise, but perhaps a move to the Premier League could enable him to realise the potential which saw him labelled a “huge talent” by Daily Express reporter Joe Krishnan.

On top of his assists, the 23-year-old’s creativity is further outlined in his match average of 1.3 key passes from last term. Add to that his 1.1 shots per game and you can see why he poses a constant threat for defenders in terms of both scoring and creating chances.

In eight starts last season, Solomon managed four goals and one assist, and his high-level experience from playing in the Champions League could have been invaluable to Fulham.

However, with Kluivert having also played in Europe’s elite competition during his career, and across several major leagues in Europe, he has plenty of high-level experience for someone who is still only 23 years old.

His spell in the Bundesliga led RB Leipzig’s Twitter channel to label him “perfect”, which suggests that at times he has been highly regarded by the clubs he has represented.

He could definitely come in and act as a replacement for the injured Israel international, and upon Solomon’s return to action, the two could offer great competition for places to support Aleksandar Mitrovic, so hopefully Fulham can bring Kluivert to the Premier League.

According to Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold, the Lilywhites have held internal talks about a move for Bristol City’s Alex Scott.

The Lowdown: Scott profiled

The midfielder joined the Robins from Guernsey back in 2020 and has quickly adapted to life in the second tier, with his impressive performances at Ashton Gate catching the eye of multiple Premier League clubs.

Antonio Conte’s side are one of the teams to have been credited with an interest in the exciting prospect, but they are set to face competition from rivals Leeds United for his signature.

The Latest: Spurs ‘heavily’ tracking Scott

Asked during a fan Q&A for Football.London whether he could see Tottenham signing Scott in the coming weeks, Gold said they have ‘spoken about’ the player behind closed doors:

“Spurs will have to start building their homegrown numbers up for the long-term because they have let Alli, Carter-Vickers, Clarke, Etete, Rodon (for the Premier League) and eventually will see Winks go, and in the short-term, both Troy Parrott and Dane Scarlett have left on loan.

“As for Alex Scott, he’s a player Spurs have scouted heavily and spoken about and the 18-year-old has got a fair bit of interest in him at the moment.”

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The Verdict: One for the future

Having been a regular starter at Bristol last season, making 38 appearances and racking up six goal contributions in the Championship, the Reds won’t want to let him go, but he’s proven to be a really promising young player and one that Spurs should snap up in a heartbeat.

Praised for his ‘exceptional’ breakthrough campaign by Robins boss Nigel Pearson, the teenager averaged 1.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per league game in 2021/22, via WhoScored.

Scott has an outstanding work rate and is skilled in winning possession back for his side, and these are all qualities that would mean he’d flourish in his development if he was to make the move to player under Conte.

West Ham United have had a strong transfer window so far this summer, adding some real quality to their squad in the shape of Gianluca Scamacca, Nayef Aguerd and most recently Thilo Kehrer as David Moyes looks to take his team to the next level.

Finishing seventh in last season’s Premier League and reaching the Europa League semi-finals was great progress from the Irons, who were struggling before Moyes took over for his second spell in charge in the winter of 2019. In order to kick on, though, they need to add some squad depth, especially in midfield.

One player who could add the necessary quality is Club Brugge attacking midfielder Hans Vanaken. West Ham have already made one move for the player, with the Belgian champions refusing that offer, but the east London club are reportedly keen on making another bid.

Vanaken has an impressive record in his homeland, recording a remarkable 175 goal contributions (102 goals, 73 assists) during his seven-year association with Brugge.

The 29-year-old has scored the majority of his goals from an attacking midfield position, and his goalscoring ability from midfield is something that West Ham have been lacking.

Manuel Lanzini was the club’s highest scorer from midfield last term with seven goals, whereas Vanaken netted more than double that with 15 strikes, which suggests that his quality would vastly improve this area in Moyes’ squad.

West Ham could also have their next £75m-valued talent on their books if he makes the move to the London Stadium, with Vanaken being compared to Jarrod Bowen via FBRef’s similar player model.

Bowen has been valued at £75m by West Ham and the 6 foot 4 Belgian is slightly older, but if he can replicate his form in his homeland if coming to the Premier League, there might be a few teams who be interested in signing him for a significant fee.

Both players have a keen eye for goal, with Vanaken taking 2.03 shots per match last season and Bowen 2.41, and the figures that both are devoted to scoring as much as possible.

Goalscoring isn’t their only strength, as the pair contributed a total of 19 assists in their respective divisions last term (Vanaken nine, Bowen ten) while each averaged over one key pass per match (1.6 and 1.2 respectively) proving that a combination of the two players in the same team could ensure that West Ham score more often.

The “towering” Belgian – as described by journalist Henry Tomlinson – might be yet another Moyes masterstroke in this summer’s transfer market if the Hammers boss can lure him to the London Stadium between now and 1st September.