The Gossip: Hectic End To The Transfer Window?

With just over a day to go of the summer transfer window, we have finally strengthened the centre of midfield but left back remains a problem.

But first, the final list of linked players during this transfer window;

Valentin Roberge (Maritimo)
Mobido Diakite (Lazio)
Diogo Viana (F.C. Penafiel)
Danny Rose (Tottenham)
Emmanuel Cascione (Pescara)
Danilo D'Ambrosio (Torino)
El Hadji Ba (Le Havre)
Mauro Zarate (Lazio)
Bas Dost (Wolfsburg)
George Mandjeck (Auxerre)
Charlie Austin (Burnley)
Alfred Finnbogason (SC Heerenveen)
Greg Sandomierski (Genk)
Tom Allan (York City)
Salif Sane (Nancy)
Cabral (Basel)
Lucas Orban (Tigre)
Gary Hooper (Celtic)
Fraser Forster (Celtic)
Milos Krasic (Fenerbache)
Wilfried Bony (Vitesse)
Grant Holt (Norwich)
Andreas Weimann (Aston Villa)
Paulinho (Livorno)
Nacho Scocco (Al Ain)
Reto Ziegler (Juventus)
John Guidetti (Manchester City)
Josuha Guilavogui (Saint-Étienne)
Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli)
Luis Pedro Cavanda (Lazio)
Joseph Alfred Duncan (Inter Milan)
Alessandro Rosina (Siena)
Jonathan Biabiany (Parma)
Benjamin Mendy (Le Havre)
Scott Parker (Tottenham)
Johan Elmander (Galatassaray)
Abel Hernandez (Palermo)
Daniel Moberg Karlsson (IFK Göteborg)
Remi Gomis (Valenciennes)
Matej Vydra (Udinese)
Mejdi Traoui (Espérance de Tunis)
Jozy Altidore (AZ)
Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)
Vito Mannone (Arsenal)
Jérémie Aliadière (Lorient)
Jeroen Zoet (PSV)
Ibrahima MBaye (Inter)
Daniel Bessa (Inter)
Gino Peruzzi (Vélez Sarsfield)
Callum McManaman (Wigan)
Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham)
Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Heerenveen)
Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth)
Chung-yong Lee (Bolton)
Robert Acquafresca (Bologna)
Charis Mavrias (Panathinaikos)
Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus)
Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV)
Maxi Lopez (Catania)
Innocent Emeghara (Lorient)
Bastian Oczipka (Eintract Frankfurt)
Christiano Biraghi (Inter)
Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
Aly Cissokho (Valencia)
Luca Marrone (Juventus)
Raul Meireles (Fenerbahce)
Emil Hallfreðsson (Chievo)
Frederik Sorensen (Bologna)
Jorge Flores (Tigres)
Fabio Daprelà (Brescia)
Libor Kozák (Lazio)
Julio Buffarini (San Lorenzo)
Manuel Fernandes (Besiktas)
Walter Gargano (Napoli)
John Boye (Rennes)
Jires Kembo (Al Ain)
Loris Benito (ZUrich)
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (Panathinaikos)
Zdravko Kuzmanović (Inter)
Cheikh M'Bengue (Toulouse)
Ondrej Celustka (Trabzonspor)
Danny Guthrie (Reading)
Fabio Quagliarella (Juventus)
Johan Larsson (Elfsborg)
Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal)
Federico Peluso (Juventus)
Paolo De Ceglie (Juventus)
Armand Traore (Queens Park Rangers)
Sergio Floccari (Lazio)
Michael Bradley (Roma)
Ki Sung-Yueng (Swansea)
Ryan Gauld (Dundee United)
John Souttar (Dundee United)
Darren Petrie (Dundee United)
Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan)
Alexandru Bourceanu (Steaua Bucharest)
Fabio Borini (Liverpool)
Alexander Buttner (Manchester United)
Ederson (Lazio)

Another 5 players this week, taking the final total 99. Leaving us stranded, just short of our century.

Included in that list there are 7 goalkeepers, 6 right backs, 9 central defenders, 15 left backs, 13 attacking midfielders, 22 central midfielders and 27 strikers. Which means we have only signed 12 players (so far) from a total of 99 transfer links and we should point out that we tried to be selective with which rumours we included in that list and there are an endless number of extremely tenuous links that we didn't include.

Not a very good strike rate and, predictably, the only position we have yet to sign a player is left back.

That will hopefully change before tomorrow's deadline, with the latest left back to be linked being Alexander Buttner of Manchester United. Sunderland are reportedly hoping to tie up a loan deal for Buttner but any move appears to require Manchester United signing a left back themselves.

With Leighton Baines and Fabio Coentrao strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford, there is a good possibility that Buttner may leave before the deadline but if the club are to actively chase the Dutch player they will face strong competition from Celtic, with Buttner's agent, Aleksander Bursac, saying;

Yes, Celtic would like to take the player on loan for the season.

We feel it would greatly help the boy's development to be playing regularly at that level and in European football. Celtic are a really great club.

They [Celtic] have been back and forward in dialogue with Manchester United. It's in their hands now as we are not sure if they want to release him.

The club confirmed the signing of Ki Sung-Yueng yesterday but he wasn't the only central midfielder linked with Sunderland this week. With Ederson of Lazio, AC Milan's Antonio Nocerino and Steaua Bucharest captain Alexandru Bourceanu all linked with a move to the Stadium of Light.

They are three very different central midfielders, with Ederson being the closest fit to Di Canio's 'man with the keys', however he is better further forward as more of a number 10 and has been injury prone of late, so it's likely he was just an alternative if the Ki move didn't happen.

Nocerino is probably best of the three, with a good range of passing and an ability to arrive late in the box to get on the end of crosses, however he cannot be considered a physical presence and is weak defensively.

Finally we have Bourceanu, who is a bit of a bulldog on the pitch, has been nicknamed 'Gattuso', due to his similar style to Gennaro Gattuso, and given Di Canio has repeatedly said he wants more physical presence, he could be a bit of a wild card to watch before tomorrow night.

How likely it is that we will sign either of those players is unknown but there is a chance that the club will move for another central midfielder, despite the signing of Ki, if there are further outgoings, with one of Vaughan or Cattermole the likely candidates.

Our final link this week is Liverpool's Fabio Borini, who is a rumoured replacement for Stephane Sessegnon, who is still being linked with a move to Qatar's Army side El Jaish. Borini has been linked with a loan move and if Sessegnon does leave, then Di Canio has made no secret of the fact that he would need to be replaced. Whether Borini is a good enough replacement is doubtful but with so little room left to manoeuvre, it wouldn't be a surprise to see our final Premier League loan space being used up if Sessegnon were to leave.

It's hard to predict what will happen before tomorrow's 11pm deadline, a left back remains a priority but that position is seemingly impossible to fill and I don't think there are any Sunderland fans who will be confident that we will finally sign a left back before the window 'slams shut!'. There could be outgoings too, with the likes of Sessegnon, Vaughan and Cattermole linked with a move away, which could in turn lead to further arrivals.

A hectic end to the window would certainly be fitting considering how busy our new Director of Football has been this summer, so stay tuned to Roker Report for a Deadline Day Preview and check back regularly as we keep you up to date with all the rumours and done deals as the clock ticks down.

That's your lot for this transfer window. Remember you can keep up with all the stories as they happen via our DEDICATED SUNDERLAND TRANSFER CENTRE.