Lee Bowyer has intimated that he would like to bring a new face or two into the club this week.
Chris Solly’s red card, and the ankle injury Jason Pearce picked up at Oakwell on Saturday,have intensified Bowyer’s need for new recruits.
Solly was dismissed after picking up a second yellow card, so will only miss the New Year’s Day clash with Walsall.
Bowyer is hopeful his skipper will recover in time to play in the Walsall game, and said this after the game:
“He’s done something to his ankle and I know for a fact that if Pearcey can play then he plays. He’s our captain, he’s our leader and he didn’t want to come off.
“He was half going to let us down if he stayed on because if someone got one-v-one with him then he wouldn’t have been able to stop them.
“It was the right decision to bring him off and hopefully he will recover for the next game.”
Pearce picked up the knock towards the end of the first-half, but carried on until midway through the second period.
It is hard to see how he can fully recover in just three days, and Bowyer will be mindful that Sunderland visit The Valley on Saturday.
He will have a like-for-like replacement available in Naby Sarr, who has now completed his three match suspension.
If Pearce does play against Walsall, Sarr will probably come in at left-back. If Pearce misses out, then Sarr is likely to slot in alongside Patrick Bauer, with Toby Stevenson filling in on the left.
Lewis Page is recovering slowly, but will not be ready until “February at the earlyist” so bringing in a left-back is Bowyer’s top priority.
There have been strong rumours over the weekend linking NAC Breda left-back, Greg Leigh, with a switch to SE7.
Leigh is 24-years-old and a former Manchester City trainee. He played for Crewe, Bradford and Bury before moving to Holland, and appears to tick all the boxes.