Appointed just before Christmas following the sacking of Tony Mowbray, Sunderland manager Michael Beale would have hoped for the chance to put his imprint on the squad in the January transfer window. With less than two weeks to go until the 1st February deadline, there hasn't been any incoming activity at the Stadium of Light, but the club are working to change that.
There were rumours that Sunderland were showing interest in Notts County forward Macaulay Langstaff, valued at £1.5m by the League Two club. The Black Cats were said to be part of an extensive transfer battle that also featured the likes of Birmingham City, Derby County, Peterborough United, Wrexham and Scottish side Hearts, and now reliable journalist James Copley has had his say on the story.
Langstaff interest is real
Writing on Twitter, Copley confirmed that Sunderland are interested in Langstaff, describing the rumours as "genuine". In an attached article for the Sunderland Echo, he mentions Derby and Peterborough as suitors, while also noting that north-east rivals Middlesbrough as being in the picture too.
He adds that Langstaff's former club Gateshead are entitled to a 10% sell-on fee if he leaves Notts County, which could mean that his current club drives an even harder bargain in any negotiations.
"Incredible" Langstaff can solve Jack Clarke problem
Even though he was playing outside the top four tiers last season, Langstaff won national attention thanks to his goalscoring exploits. Dubbed the "Non-League Haaland", he broke the National League goalscoring record with 41 in 45 games – a feat that former Manchester United coach Paul McGuinness called "incredible".
Those goals helped Notts County achieve promotion and Langstaff, who's also been called a "master marksman" by TNT Sports commentator Adam Summerton, has continued his devastating form at a higher level. With 20 goals in 27 League Two appearances so far – only two of them penalties – he's top of the scoring charts for the entire English Football League.
1
Macaulay Langstaff
Notts County
League Two
20
2
Sammie Szmodics
Blackburn
Championship
16
=
Devante Cole
Barnsley
League One
16
=
Jake Young
Swindon
League Two
16
=
Alfie May
Charlton
League One
16
6
Matt Smith
Salford
League Two
15
=
Will Evans
Newport
League Two
15
The Championship would of course represent a significant step up in quality, and Langstaff may need time to adjust, but Sunderland should be encouraged by his seamless transition to the EFL this season. Beale has a clear need for more firepower in order to address his side's overreliance on Jack Clarke – the former Spurs man has bagged 13 goals from the flanks this season – with nobody else in the squad netting more than four (Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham are currently tied on that figure).
That imbalance has to be a worry for a side that will have aspirations of making the play-offs (they're only below sixth-place Coventry on goal difference prior to their clash with Hull), but a move for Langstaff could help to address it. Based on the numbers he's put up this season, it's hard to argue that he isn't worth £1.5m, either.