Sunderland make Jordan’s great; is Rhodes the man to fill the Black Cats striking vacancy?

Sunderland have inquired after Sheffield Wednesday striker Jordan Rhodes, according to the Sheffield Star.

The Black Cats seem to have joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in weighing up a bid to land the 27-year-old, who only signed a permanent deal with the Owls this summer.

Following a season on loan at Hillsbrough last season from Middlesbrough, Wednesday were obliged to stump up £10m for the 6ft 1in striker on July 1st.

Owls’ boss Carlos Carvalhal has attacking options in abundance and has utilised a combination of former Sunderland target man Steven Fletcher, Sam Winnall and Gary Hooper as his preferred front line ahead of Rhodes so far this season.

The Sheffield club were thought to be keen to recoup their investment quickly by listening to offers for Rhodes and were said to be demanding £12m for the striker whose future has continued to be shrouded in uncertainty.

That figure would rule Sunderland out of any pursuit but Wednesday are thought to be willing to listen to offers to take Rhodes on loan which has ignited interest from the Black Cats and Championship rivals Wolves who have started the season strongly.

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Sunderland boss Simon Grayson worked with Rhodes at Huddersfield Town when he was manager at the West Yorkshire club. The Oldham-born forward scored 73 goals in 124 appearances for the Terriers as his stock was rising before a big money £8m move to Blackburn in 2012.

After continuing his fine form at Ewood Park with a strike rate better than a goal every other game, Rhodes was signed by Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee in February last year.

The striker found his opportunities limited once the ‘Boro reached the Premier League and he dropped down a level again into the Championship - the league in which he had been so successful previously - joining Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

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This time around though, Rhodes has found the going tougher with just five goals in twenty four appearances during his Hillsborough stint. With a career in need of a kick-start and Sunderland in need of a goalscorer, a move to the Stadium of Light may make sense for all parties.

The Black Cats haven’t scored in the league since George Honeyman’s fourth minute strike against Wednesday in the third game of the Championship campaign and whilst Lewis Grabban has hit three goals, fellow summer signing James Vaughan has yet to find the net since his July arrival.

Not signing a striker before the transfer window closes on Thursday night will be viewed as a disaster for Simon Grayson’s Sunderland. The lack of depth in the Black Cats ranks has been exposed in the last two league defeats and additional firepower is a must.

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Jordan Rhodes may be worth a punt if he is available on loan, though doubts linger about whether the lad has lost the anticipation and movement which made him such a hit in the Championship.

Alternatively, selling Lamine Kone and / or Wahbi Khazri or a combination of other saleable assets including Didier Ndong may free up some funds for Sunderland to be able to launch a cash bid.

Simon Grayson has built his reputation on getting the best out of players and resurrecting faded careers so will fancy his chances of getting Rhodes back on song. And after all, Sunderland have a fine pedigree of making Jordans great - see messrs Pickford and Henderson for previous examples.