Sunderland could sign their next Defoe in move for incredible striker
Sunderland could sign their next Defoe in move for incredible striker
Sunderland supporters will hope Regis Le Bris' appointment in the Black Cats hot-seat means attacking football could be on the menu next season, having been tortured by goal-shy displays for large portions of last campaign.
The Wearside outfit would only muster up 52 goals in total from 46 league clashes, with Sunderland's top scorer in the league playing in the striker positions in the form of Nazariy Rusyn only managing a meagre two goals all season long.
The brand-new Frenchman in the managerial dug-out could look towards bringing in a fresh centre-forward as a priority this summer, therefore, as a free agent continues to pique the Championship club's interest.
Sunderland must go back in for prolific free agent
Divin Mubama is now officially a free agent, walking out of his boyhood club West Ham United at the close of June, with a new adventure now on the horizon for the prolific attacker.
Sunderland could well be his next onward destination, therefore, with the second-tier side previously interested in the 19-year-old gem, but BBC Sport journalist Nizaar Kinsella is now speculating that a move to Europe could be on the cards for the former Hammers youngster instead.
Le Bris' men will want to advance to the front of the queue to sign Mubama regardless of this new development, however, knowing that they need more firepower up top next season, ahead of what they hope is a far brighter campaign on the whole at the Stadium of Light.
What Mubama could offer Sunderland
Mubama signing on the dotted line for the Black Cats could be reminiscent of Jermain Defoe's move to Wearside if everything clicks into place for the young star in his potential new surroundings, with Defoe also leaving West Ham behind early into his fledging career, before becoming an iconic figure to Sunderland fans.
If Le Bris and Co are successful in convincing Mubama to play in the Championship next season, the hope will be he can finally be the deadly striker Sunderland need up top - as Defoe was - with the 19-year-old a cool and composed finisher playing in the youth ranks for the Hammers.
From 109 games in total across his early career, which included 18 senior appearances in an attempt to cut his teeth in the first-team mix, Mubama has bagged a mightily impressive 57 strikes along the way, with the demands of the second-tier now potentially his first challenge away from the London Stadium.
Defoe also walked away from the luxuries of West Ham when still in the infancy of his playing days, despite also being known as an ice-cold finisher of chances with 40 goals from 104 games, to test himself and succeeded with flying colours wherever he ended up at.
The journeyman centre-forward would bag 37 goals on the books at Sunderland even when his career was beginning to fizzle out, notching up an incredible 162 top-flight strikes in total from 496 matches across an esteemed career, with his decision to walk away from the club he started out as a wide-eyed teenager paying off.
Mubama will hope he goes on to be remembered in a similar vein, with his exploits scoring strike after strike on youth pitches even seeing him be described as "incredible" by West Ham Academy manager Kenny Brown last year.
There will be some disappointment from the Premier League club's end that they couldn't tie down their homegrown product to a new extended deal, but Sunderland will hope they can swoop in and make Mubama a prolific striker in the senior game, ahead of a thrilling Championship season to come.
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