Sunderland Transfers: 10 Players Sam Allardyce Must Sign

9. Lamine Kone (Lorient)

Another target said to be on the verge of completing a switch to Wearside is Lamine Kone. The Ivorian centre back would inject some formidable strength into a largely flimsy defence which has leaked 39 goals in 20 games so far this season, the highest number in the league. A centre back simply has to be the priority this window, possibly two. Kone and Kirchhoff would fit the bill. Kone was drafted into Ligue 1 side Lorient as a replacement for Laurent Koscielny before his move to Arsenal in 2010. Since then he's been a dependable, gigantic figure in the heart of their defence, and isn't sluggish either. A fee of around £5 million has been agreed with the French outfit, so now it's just a case of waiting to see whether Sam Allardyce and Sunderland can seal the deal.