Southampton Boss Sees Sunderland Man As Key Transfer Target

Sunderland striker Ross Stewart is Southampton’s top target at present, as Russell Martin looks to strengthen his attack, according to the Scottish Express.

Saints are looking for another striker and explored a swoop to bring in Joel Piroe from Swansea City before he joined Leeds United.

 

They have now been linked with Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski, but he is not the Championship side’s main target

 

The man that Southampton want above all others is Sunderland hitman Stewart.

 

Saints boss Martin is a big admirer of Stewart and is keen to take him to the south coast before the transfer window closes.

 

Stewart has yet to play for the Black Cats this season due to injury, but he is working his way back.

 

The striker could play in a behind closed doors match during September’s international break, but whether he will still be at Sunderland then is unclear.

Stewart, 27, has entered the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light.

 

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Coventry City match reaction from CoventryLive as manager Mark Robins provides his reaction to today’s goalless draw with Sunderland

Mark Robins hailed his “warrior” centre-half Kyle McFadzean for his part in Coventry City’s clean sheet against Sunderland.

Although the Sky Blues created the best chance of the goalless draw at the CBS Arena when substitute Haji Wright couldn’t quite put the finishing touch on a fine three-man move, the City boss singled out his elder statesman of the team for his part in maintaining the clean sheet against Tony Mowbray’s Black Cats.

Assessing the goalless draw in his post-match press conference, Robins said: “Two really good teams trying to play football, and it was like chess at times with people moving into positions and dragging out with really good technicians in both teams.

“And then you are looking to try to create good opportunities while trying to limit the opponent, which is difficult to do. I thought across the back line we were outstanding, throwing bodies in front of it.

“Milan (van Ewijk) has had his best game and Jay Dasilva was really good but McFadzean was a joke, throwing himself in. He’s carrying injuries and got an injury during the game and yet he was making block tackles and throwing himself in front of things; getting his big nose in front of things. So he’s been every inch the warrior that he is and the other two around him (Bobby Thomas and Joel Latibeaudiere) have worked really hard to try to maintain the clean sheet with Ben Wilson behind them who dealt with most things.”

He added: “On the flip side of it we played some really good football, got into wide areas but they tried to pay on the counter attack against us – they leave Jack Clarke up, Jobe Bellingham was up and there are three players ready to break out at any given moment really and that’s where the danger is.

“We were trying to open them up but if we don’t get it right because they kill the space then it means that they can turn it over and get on the counter. And the first time they did it we stepped out and they skipped past us, albeit we managed to snuff that out. And that put us on the back foot a little bit in terms of coming out and being aggressive, although we regained that and started to do it pretty well.

“Then we started to tire a little bit in the second half and it became a little bit stretched and open because both teams were trying to win. It was difficult to make changes at that time because we still had Jack Clarke going at Milan, and they were playing a full-back and a winger and if I made a change there it would have meant having to deal with Clarke. And we just about got away with that because Milan was really good.