Chris Coleman has already lined up his primary Sunderland transfer targets, and wants the club to be 'on the front foot’ if Bournemouth recall Lewis Grabban in January.
The Cherries loaned Grabban to Sunderland in the summer in a cut-price deal, with the Black Cats paying only a fraction of his wages and no fee.
There is a recall clause as part of the deal, with speculation mounting that his goalscoring exploits have attracted the attention of Wolves and Fulham, both of whom were desperate to add extra striking options in the summer window.
With Grabban seemingly having little future on the South Coast, Bournemouth could well be tempted to cash in while his stock is high.
Coleman says that the club have had no indication yet that they will do so.
He said: “We’ve got Grabban, the top scorer, there’s lots of speculation about clauses in his contract and whether or not he can be recalled. We’ve not heard anything from Bournemouth to suggest that would happen, that is what it is, a contract is a contract.
“From what I can see the player is happy here, and we’ve had no contact from Bournemouth regarding Lewis, although I’m sure on the back of what he’s done there’ll be plenty of admirers. But as I sit here, Lewis will, we hope, be here for the rest of the season.”
Coleman has targets lined up for the forthcoming window, and will be prepared if Grabban departs.
The Echo revealed earlier this month that Liverpool duo Danny Ward and Ben Woodburn, both of whom played a part under Coleman in the Wales set-up, feature prominently in his thoughts.
Money will be tight for the Black Cats, but Coleman hopes to make some additions.
He said: “I’ve been here a few weeks, in my head, the positions and the people I’d like to bring in I already know. That [recall] is a possibility, but we’re not anticipating it, of course you never know in football.
“Of course we have to look at that and if it does happen we need to make sure that we’re on the front foot and we’ve got someone coming the other way. Fingers crossed that it won’t.”
Coleman also opened up on his frustration that fellow striker James Vaughan will miss the crucial home clash with Reading due to suspension.
Vaughan was booked at the Pirelli Stadium last weekend for his celebrations as the Black Cats took a late lead, a decision that Coleman felt was harsh.
He said: “He was celebrating for 7 or 8 seconds, never took his jersey off, never ran into the crowd or ran up to the crowd. You could see his frustration because he hadn’t scored for a while, and I thought it was harsh.
“It was disappointing, he’s frustrated because strikers need goals. I was delighted that he got it because he deserves it, it was a harsh booking. I was disappointed for him more than disappointed with him.”
The Cherries loaned Grabban to Sunderland in the summer in a cut-price deal, with the Black Cats paying only a fraction of his wages and no fee.
There is a recall clause as part of the deal, with speculation mounting that his goalscoring exploits have attracted the attention of Wolves and Fulham, both of whom were desperate to add extra striking options in the summer window.
With Grabban seemingly having little future on the South Coast, Bournemouth could well be tempted to cash in while his stock is high.
Coleman says that the club have had no indication yet that they will do so.
He said: “We’ve got Grabban, the top scorer, there’s lots of speculation about clauses in his contract and whether or not he can be recalled. We’ve not heard anything from Bournemouth to suggest that would happen, that is what it is, a contract is a contract.
“From what I can see the player is happy here, and we’ve had no contact from Bournemouth regarding Lewis, although I’m sure on the back of what he’s done there’ll be plenty of admirers. But as I sit here, Lewis will, we hope, be here for the rest of the season.”
Coleman has targets lined up for the forthcoming window, and will be prepared if Grabban departs.
The Echo revealed earlier this month that Liverpool duo Danny Ward and Ben Woodburn, both of whom played a part under Coleman in the Wales set-up, feature prominently in his thoughts.
Money will be tight for the Black Cats, but Coleman hopes to make some additions.
He said: “I’ve been here a few weeks, in my head, the positions and the people I’d like to bring in I already know. That [recall] is a possibility, but we’re not anticipating it, of course you never know in football.
“Of course we have to look at that and if it does happen we need to make sure that we’re on the front foot and we’ve got someone coming the other way. Fingers crossed that it won’t.”
Coleman also opened up on his frustration that fellow striker James Vaughan will miss the crucial home clash with Reading due to suspension.
Vaughan was booked at the Pirelli Stadium last weekend for his celebrations as the Black Cats took a late lead, a decision that Coleman felt was harsh.
He said: “He was celebrating for 7 or 8 seconds, never took his jersey off, never ran into the crowd or ran up to the crowd. You could see his frustration because he hadn’t scored for a while, and I thought it was harsh.
“It was disappointing, he’s frustrated because strikers need goals. I was delighted that he got it because he deserves it, it was a harsh booking. I was disappointed for him more than disappointed with him.”
