WHEN Championship clubs go knocking on the door of those in the Premier League in search of loan signings, it's often young, upcoming players who are the the subject of discussion.
That's not the case at Sunderland this month, however. What the Black Cats want from temporary top flight arrivals is experience and know-how - and with that comes a problem.
"Those players are more established, earning more money and it's harder to tempt those ones out," says head coach Michael Beale.
That's not to say that Sunderland are completely against the capture of talented young players. As Beale admitted this week, the club would have welcomed Amad Diallo back with open arms this month, though that is now looking increasingly unlikely with the forward set to stay at Manchester United.
On the whole, though, it's not gifted young players who Sunderland want to temporarily add to their squad, for they've got plenty of them in their own ranks. What Beale thinks they need is a bit of experience to help get the best out of the talented crop on the club's books.
"When you're a club in this league or any league, when you go to the loan market you're generally looking for a young, up and coming player," said Beale.
"We have those in the building. So then you're looking for something a bit different. As manager and a coach, when you go to the market and you're a Championship team you're often looking for a young one who's ready to break out, and Amad was that type of player.
"We'd take Amad, for example, but does our team need that now or does it need something a bit different to help us in the last 19 games?"
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One player who would add experience is Yann M'Vila and Sunderland continue to be heavily linked with their former midfielder.
The 33-year-old has been a free agent since the summer and reports in France say talks between Sunderland and the midfielder's agent have taken place.
At the end of last year, M'Vila said: "I don’t need the money. I want to play. With all the respect I have for Ligue 2, I don’t see myself playing in this championship.
“There is only one club for which I would have agreed to return to the lower division for is Sunderland, to help them return to the Premier League. I had an extraordinary year there. I’m not just a footballer, I can help on and off the pitch, I know the moments of crisis. I am a reliable person. If you trust me, I’ll give it back to you a thousand times.”
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