Phil Parkinson reveals details of Sunderland January targets with FIVE new signings wanted

Phil Parkinson has revealed himself and Tony Coton have drawn up a list of transfer targets, however insists Sunderland must remain patient in January.
Sunderland manager Phil ParkinsonSunderland manager Phil Parkinson
Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson

Executive Director Charlie Methven said last month the Black Cats manager will be backed in January and hopes to secure as many as five new arrivals.

And Parkinson is in dialogue with Coton and his recruitment team with the pair taking an active role in identifying potential new signings.

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Indeed, Parkinson told of how himself and assistant Steve Parkin took in a game on Wednesday evening with transfer targets on show.

Parkinson said: “It is a continuous process of meeting with Tony Coton and his scouting team in terms of going into January.

“We’ve had the opportunity to go and watch a few games. Me and Steve were at a game last night looking at a couple of players - potential targets. Other staff and the scouts have been out as well.

“We’ve been able to have that time to sit down with Tony and his team to write up the list of potential targets for January.”

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The news Sunderland are showing a keen interest in strengthening the squad will come as encouraging news to fans.

However, Parkinson warned supporters to stay patient before giving a brief insight into the difficulties of the window.

“You’ve got to be realistic on that,” when asked if the club were in a position to bid for players on January 1.

“A lot of times when you watch players, a club says: ‘we want to see if we can get somebody in first.’ So quite often, the ideal scenario doesn’t often happen.

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“All you can do with any transfer target is make the player, agent or club aware of your interest and try and keep it as quiet as you can until you can get a deal over the line.

“If we have to be patient, we have to be patient.”

Parkinson’s Sunderland face Gillingham, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers and Doncaster Rovers before the market opens on January 1.

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