Sunderland’s Hemir Semedo question after Watford and Millwall defeats as club face transfer decision

Sunderland’s striker issues have been evident all season - despite the club signing four new forwards during last summer’s transfer window.

Hemir Semedo, Nazariy Rusyn and Mason Burstow have all found it challenging since moving to Wearside, while 18-year-old Eliezer Mayenda joined SPL side Hibernian on loan in January. Despite the aforementioned arrivals, it’s fair to say Jobe Bellingham has been by far the most effective player leading the line for the Black Cats this term, yet the 18-year-old has dropped back into midfield for recent matches against Millwall and Watford due to Dan Neil’s injury setback.

That has left a void up front, with interim head coach Mike Dodds choosing Bradley Dack to lead the line against Millwall, before deploying Adil Aouchiche in a similar role at Watford. Neither were able to excel in an unfamiliar position, while the decisions have once again shown a lack of faith in Sunderland’s recognised strikers.

Rusyn remains sidelined with a calf issue, while Burstow is highly unlikely to re-sign for the Black Cats when his loan deal from Chelsea expires. Yet Hemir, who penned a five-year deal on Wearside last June, has been available in recent weeks but hardly featured.

The 20-year-old clearly hasn’t looked ready to make an impact at Championship level at this stage of his career, hence his lack of game time for the senior team. When he came off the bench for the final 12 minutes at Watford, the Portuguese striker once again found himself on the fringes of the match, even if he almost produced a late assist for Patrick Roberts.

With four years left on his Sunderland contract, the Black Cats will now have to decide what their best option is for Hemir’s development. A loan move to gain more senior football would appear to make sense at this stage, yet would that be to another club in England or abroad?

Sunderland will certainly look to strengthen their striker options this summer as they look to push for a top-six place. Still, they will also have to manage the young players they have already brought to the club who are yet to reach the level required.