January must have been a dreadful month for David Moyes after the league results were hardly inspiring. Sunderland had been hugely crippled by injuries for most of the first half of the season and when Moyes finally thought to better the situation coming transfer window, the club announced its financial crisis.
Holding on to his players was one of the biggest challenges for the former Manchester United and Everton manager last month and he has done it well to some extent. However, finding nothing more than some free agents whose prime years have long passed by, Moyes had to raid his former club to get reinforcements as he did last summer.
TRANSFERS
INS
- Joleon Lescott – free agent
- Darron Gibson – Everton (undisclosed)
- Bryan Oviedo – Everton (undisclosed)
OUTS
- Patrick van Aanholt – Crystal Palace (£14m)
- Tom Beadling – Bury (loan)
- Andrew Nelson – Hartlepool (loan)
Source: Sky Sports
Sunderland couldn’t get anyone to sign until the very last week of the window as Moyes chased the in-demand targets of the league like Jose Fonte, James McCarthy, Branislav Ivanovic, Mamadou Sakho and more. But their position in the relegation zone hardly helped their cause.
He had to settle for Joleon Lescott in a bid to add more depth to the centre-back areas. The former Everton and Manchester City defender can play anywhere across the back line and could be useful with his immense experience.
The signings of Darron Gibson and Bryan Oviedo are undoubtedly good because they go directly into the first team. Gibson had managed only seven outings with Everton this season and would be hungry to prove his critics wrong. A proper box-to-box midfielder, Gibson is a decent addition to Moyes’ midfield, if not an upgrade, and could be effective alongside Rodwell and Larsson.
Oviedo seems to be the proper replacement for Aanholt on the left flank. The Costa Rican international could be a good wing-back if used well and has a reputation of being a good tackler. He is the only left-back in the Sunderland squad at the moment.
T4O Verdict: 5
While Moyes hardly had any option in the market, he grabbed whatever was possible in his budget. The issue of sharing Jermain Defoe’s burden up front, which has been raised by critics earlier, is still unresolved. Although Fabio Borini and Adnan Januzaj could be useful up front and Moyes used Borini alongside Defoe in their shocking 0-0 draw against Tottenham, Sunderland’s attack could still struggle despite their goal-glut against Crystal Palace.
