Scott Wilson Column: What can the North-East's big three expect before the transfer window closes?

MIDDLESBROUGH

It had all been going so well for Aitor Karanka. Stewart Downing’s £7m arrival from West Ham caused heads to turn, Cristhian Stuani’s switch from Espanyol provided the creative vision that was lacking on occasion last season, and David Nugent’s £4m move from Leicester ended a long-running courtship that had seen Boro’s head coach consistently covet the one-time England international.

For once, it looked as though the final few days of the transfer window would be calm. The big question now is whether last weekend’s heated exchange with Albert Adomah has changed all that.

Having been unhappy with Adomah’s reaction to being left out of the starting line-up that faced Bristol City, Karanka axed the winger entirely from the squad that travelled to Burton for Tuesday’s League Cup tie. If that means the end of his time on Teesside – and the indications at the moment are that it might – some last-minute dealing could well be in the offing.

Boro have not received a formal offer for Adomah, but clubs in the Championship and lower reaches of the Premier League are aware of the transfer request that was formally submitted yesterday. Chief executive Neil Bausor can expect his phone to be busy over the next few days.

It would suit Boro down to the ground if Adomah could be included in a deal to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Michail Antonio, a player that has been the subject of their interest for a number of weeks now. Forest have turned down offers from West Ham and Derby, and dismissed Boro’s suggestion of including Mustapha Carayol in a potential deal. Might Adomah’s potential availability prove a game changer?

Beyond another winger, Karanka’s other main target is a goalkeeper, with AC Milan’s Michael Agazzi already on Teesside as he waits for his loan move to be processed. The Spaniard also remains in regular contact with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, and at least one further loan deal is regarded as likely. Whether that happens before or after next week’s transfer deadline, however, remains to be seen.

Carayol still looks likely to leave – although again, that could be on loan next month – while a number of Championship clubs are interested in taking James Husband on a temporary basis, with the full-back having failed to dislodge George Friend from Karanka’s preferred starting line-up.

NEWCASTLE

Having promised to loosen the purse strings when he broke his silence at the end of last season, Mike Ashley has finally lived up to his words by funding a significant spending spree on Tyneside.

Georginio Wijnaldum became the third most expensive player in Newcastle’s history when he completed a £14.5m move from PSV Eindhoven, and Aleksandar Mitrovic isn’t far behind following his £12m switch from Anderlecht. Throw in Chancel Mbemba and Florian Thauvin, and Newcastle’s net summer spend of around £50m currently makes them one of the top-three spending sides in the Premier League.

With that in mind, Steve McClaren has hinted the club’s outlay could already be at an end. That would be fair enough in terms of money spent, but it is hard not to feel the Magpies will be at least a defender light if the window closes without any further additions.

Mbemba proved he could deputise at right-back last weekend, but Newcastle look short of cover for their only natural fit in that position, Daryl Janmaat. With Mike Williamson out of favour and Jamaal Lascelles struggling to handle the step up to the Premier League, the club could also do with an additional centre-half.

Monaco’s Aymen Abdennour is a firm favourite of Newcastle’s recruitment team, but the hugely-talented Tunisian centre-half appears to be attracting half of the sides in Europe. With Valencia and Juventus interested, and Abdennour rated at more than £15m, it is hard to see the Magpies pulling off what would be a dramatic coup.

At the other end of the field, Charlie Austin has been a target all summer, but Newcastle’s recruitment team steadfastly refuse to go anywhere near QPR’s £15m valuation of the striker and remain concerned about his chequered injury record.

As ever with the Magpies, perhaps the bigger issue is whether anyone will be leaving before the deadline passes. Moussa Sissoko would appear the player most at risk, with Arsenal and Paris St Germain having coveted him strongly in the past, but Cheick Tiote and Papiss Cisse could also be jettisoned if Ashley receives an offer he feels unable to turn down.

SUNDERLAND

Of the North-East’s big three, Sunderland can expect to be the busiest club between now and the transfer deadline. On the evidence of their opening three league games, it is no exaggeration to claim that what happens in the next few days could well determine the Black Cats’ fate in the remainder of the season.

Dick Advocaat certainly seems to seem think so, with Jeremain Lens the only summer signing who can really be said to fit his description of the “four or five quality additions” who were required to transform Sunderland’s fortunes.

Ellis Short used his programme notes last weekend to outline why he feels his hands are largely tied when it comes to further expenditure, but his explanation does not appear to have appeased the fans who view the club’s net summer spend of around £8m as evidence of a lack of ambition.

Whether that is fair or not will be irrelevant if Sunderland are relegated, and there is surely a need for at least two more signings before the window swings shut.

One is likely to be a striker, with a move for Rennes striker Ola Toivonen, a player who previously worked with Advocaat at PSV Eindhoven, at an advanced stage.

Advocaat also wants another creative midfielder, but Leroy Fer’s proposed move from QPR collapsed when the Dutchman failed a medical. Attempts to sign Jonathan de Guzman from Napoli remain ongoing, and wherever Sunderland turn next, it is likely to be for a loan addition.

The Black Cats’ defensive frailty in the opening month of the season suggests they could also do with strengthening the back four, although the £3m capture of Younes Kaboul was supposed to plug some of the gaps that were apparent last season. So far, it is safe to say the move hasn’t worked.

Sunderland’s attempts to remodel their squad would be aided if they were able to move on some of the fringe players who are accounting for a hefty proportion of the wage bill.

Combined together, Emanuele Giaccherini, Liam Bridcutt, Will Buckley and Charis Mavrias are taking home around £100,000-a-week. If Sunderland could move on all four, their room for manoeuvre would be significantly increased.