More fighting talk, a dodgy knee & the return of dour Dave?

Reet, I don’t want to go over the same ground time and time again, so the likes of McCormack, Hughill, Leadbitter, Ayoub, and Raggett are all targets, though Grayson has seemingly refused to give any real comment on whether or not the interest is genuine or mere media fabrication. Sorted.

In other news though, Grayson has once more talked some fighting talk with regard to the potential sales of big name players, including Ivorian defender - and Yaya Toure slayer - Lamine Kone:

When you have the quality he has (Kone), his physique, pace and power then there won’t be many better Championship defenders in this league than him. Who knows.

We keep going back to we are vulnerable like every other club is... All we’ve told every player is keep working hard and see where it takes us. If all the squad is with us come the end of the window then I won’t be too disappointed, but who knows.

Kone has been impressive lately both on the pitch and indeed on social media as he has flirted with the likes of Arsenal and Wet Ham after liking their posts in the last week or so. All joking aside however, the former FC Lorient player has made an impressive start to the season, and if Sunderland could keep hold of him it would certainly be a welcome boost to their chances of promotion.

Some have argued that Kone is merely playing for a move, but Grayson was quick to point out that isn’t necessarily an awful thing in general:

If players want to leave the club then they are playing to get a move, if they are doing that then so be it as it will benefit us.

Ultimately every player will have a price on their head and won’t leave without our valuation being met.

It remains to be seen as to whether the club cash in, or hold onto a gifted defender who could certainly help the team push forward this campaign.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

In other news, Josh Maja is still struggling with a knee injury which appears to be a little more serious than first anticipated by the club:

Josh is seeing a specialist tonight (yesterday evening) to clear up one or two things with his knee. Hopefully it isn’t negative news, it is just something that hasn’t healed like we thought it would from when he first sustained it.

He is just going for a check-up at teatime to get an understanding of what potentially could be wrong or not wrong.

Fingers crossed that the young forward is back sooner rather than later. After incredibly impressive pre-seaon from Maja, fans had been keen to see whether or not he could be a potent force in the Championship. Hopefulyl he;ll be back soon enough to prove his worth.

Grayson also noted that Jack Rodwell and Bryan Oviedo are back in training, but no date has been set for their return to match duty. Sunderland are actively searching for reinforcements, however, and Grayson is keen for business to get underway:

You need good depth and at this moment in time we are probably not at the level I would like to be with the strength in depth... I know I have to be realistic, while the window is still open anything can happen with us and with players up and down the country.

We are working with what we have today, what happens after that, who knows.

Could the returns of Rodwell, Watmore, Oviedo, McNair and Maja be enough to add the depth required though? Probably not, and you’d imagine a few players will also be leaving before the window closes, so hopefully we’ll have another couple of fresh faces in soon.

Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

And finally several media sources are suggesting that David Moyes could potentially be in line to replace Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday. The former (hooray!) Sunderland manager has been linked with the position after Carvalhal’s future at the Sheffield side continues to be the subject of much scrutiny and speculation.

Carvalhal was unable to help the Owls gain promotion to the Premier League last season, and after an uninspiring summer of signings - just the one in fact - fans and pundits are suggesting the Portuguese manager could be set to face the exit if results don’t go the club’s way - despite only signing a new deal back in May!

Twitter has been full of ill-feeling for the former Sporting CP & Beşiktaş manager, with a host of fans calling for Carvalhal to leave as results and performances continue to be a worry. It’s a bit harsh of course, being only two games into a new season and struggling to find new players due to financial limitations, but that’s the world of modern football unfortunately.

Then again... is Moyes really the answer to Wednesday’s woes? I don’t think you’ll find many Mackems singing the Glasweigan’s praises.

Clearly didn’t watch much Premier League football last season, then?