Bruce to seek out striking target

25 March 2011 09:08
STEVE BRUCE wants to sign an old fashioned centre-forward for Sunderland this summer, and Niall Quinn is satisfied Andy Carroll does not represent the going rate for players of that style.[LNB] Bruce is considering a variety of strikers who could provide an alternative option to those he currently has at his disposal, while he is also hoping to keep Danny Welbeck for a further season at least.[LNB] After the departure of Darren Bent to Aston Villa in January, the Sunderland boss was unsuccessful in attempts to land Ricardo Fuller from Stoke or Cardiff's Jay Bothroyd.[LNB] But, with time to land their man for the start of next season, Bruce and Quinn have been drawing up a list of targets.[LNB] Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner, Bolton's Johan Elmander and Wolves' Kevin Doyle are three of the most likely candidates, while Bruce also has significant interest in Ipswich's Connor Wickham.[LNB] Beyond those Carlton Cole, Hugo Rodallega and Roman Pavlyuchenko fit the bill, with the hope that a player with Premier League experience will be acquired.[LNB] But Quinn, knowing how Sunderland have been let down on too many occasions in the past by players not necessarily buying into the chairman's vision for the club, will not be sanctioning deals judged on talent alone.[LNB] There are one or two tall players around, said Quinn.[LNB] The key to it is whether someone will want to take on the mantle, a focal point in this journey and expectations are starting to simmer now.[LNB] It will be a character search as much as an ability search. That's what we need.[LNB] We also want that part of the pitch covered.[LNB] It is a big search, a big ask to try to find that type of player.[LNB] We want someone with a physical presence up there.[LNB] Carroll's move to Liverpool from Newcastle could have put Sunderland off that type of player, with the record fee for a British player exchanging hands after just six months of his first season as a Premier League regular.[LNB] But Quinn accepts it is rare that such a transfer takes place, even though Sunderland brought in £24m for Darren Bent in the same transfer window.[LNB] I think that (Carroll transfer) was an incredible 24 hours where we couldn't believe what we were seeing. Does it set the price for them all No it doesn't, said the Sunderland chairman.[LNB] You had the one club in the world who could pay the price they did for Fernando Torres and new Liverpool owners who decided they didn't want to keep the money and wanted to act fast.[LNB] There are two hats I could wear. There is my football hat where I will say that Newcastle have lost a good player but then I can see their accountant saying my God, what a great bit of business, the books look so much better now.' It was just one of those freaky things. I certainly won't be paying £35m for anyone.[LNB] Bruce and Quinn would like a player of Carroll's style, which poses a question: Why was Kenwyne Jones allowed to leave for Stoke[LNB] Jones ticked the boxes in terms of physical approach and ability, but Quinn thinks there was justification for allowing the Trinidad & Tobago international to leave for £8m when he did.[LNB] We thought we had it with him but for some reason it just went off the boil, said Quinn. We need someone with Kenwyne's ability if they are out there, but we hope we can find someone who also buys into the passion and puts his body on the line every time he plays for us.[LNB] With Welbeck's loan up at the end of the season, Sunderland must decide how far they are willing to go to try to land the Manchester United striker on a permanent basis.[LNB] The striker, who scored for England Under-21s 4-0 win in Denmark last night, is likely to be fourth choice at Old Trafford, but Sir Alex Ferguson does not want to let him go.[LNB] Welbeck looks destined to return to United in the summer and then Sunderland are looking to make a call to Ferguson.[LNB] The 20-year-old fits the player profile that Quinn and Bruce have been looking for, in the hope of forming a group of players hungry and determined to succeed.[LNB] Quinn said: We know it's not about piling a load of players together to get one good season out of them for all to disappear and fall down the drain.[LNB] Ellis Short would expect from us that we would be proficient in three years. It is somebody who won't be here at the tail end of his career that we have to be looking for.[LNB] Niall Quinn was speaking after holding the third of four fans' forums at the Rainton Meadow Arena on Wednesday, where 1,000 Sunderland fans posed Quinn and Steve Bruce questions.[LNB] Sunderland youngster Jordan Cook has joined League One side Walsall on loan until the end of the season. Goalkeeper Trevor Carson has joined Brentford on loan for the remainder of the campaign.[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo