Failure to Sign a New Striker Could Open the Door for Finn Geragusian at Sunderland

Sunderland look set to finish the summer transfer window without signing a new centre-forward. This situation could significantly increase the chances of 18-year-old Armenia striker Finn Geragusian getting first-team minutes this season.

In the final hours of the transfer window, the English club have focused most of their efforts on signing Lyon winger Malick Fofana. Arsenal and Crystal Palace are also interested in the Belgian, but according to available information, Sunderland are currently the closest to completing a deal.

At the same time, the Black Cats had also hoped to strengthen the centre-forward position, but no concrete transfer ultimately materialised.

Several attacking players left Sunderland during the summer. Eliezer Mayenda, Ahmed Abdullahi and Bertrand Traore all departed the club, with Traore also capable of playing as a centre-forward.

As a result, the coaching staff have been left with only two senior strikers — Wilson Isidor and Brian Brobbey. The role of third-choice forward in the rotation could now go to one of the club’s young players, Finn Geragusian or Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi.

The 19-year-old Samuel-Ogunsuyi has already made an impressive start to the season for Sunderland U21, scoring a hat-trick. Once Geragusian recovers from injury, he will have to compete with him for an opportunity to remain close to the first-team setup.

If the Armenian striker can win that battle, he could have a strong chance of regularly making Sunderland’s matchday squad. This may be particularly relevant in Europa League fixtures and English domestic cup competitions, where the coaching staff are traditionally more willing to rotate the squad. Sunderland sensationally qualified for the Europa League last season, finishing ahead of Chelsea. The team now needs at least three centre-forwards in its rotation.

If events develop this way, the possibility of Geragusian going out on loan, which had previously been discussed, becomes significantly less likely.

Finn enjoyed a productive campaign last season while playing for Sunderland’s U18 and U21 teams. His progress also attracted attention at international level, as the forward received a call-up and made his senior debut for the Armenia national team.

During the summer, Geragusian signed his first professional contract with Sunderland and was included in the senior squad for the club’s pre-season training camp in the United States. There, he was given the opportunity to feature in a friendly against Liverpool.

The player later suffered an injury and remains unavailable for the time being. Earlier reports suggested that Sunderland’s management were considering sending the young striker on loan to a club in one of the lower divisions of English football so that he could gain regular senior-level playing experience.

However, the lack of new signings at centre-forward could change the club’s plans. Sunderland now need greater squad depth, especially given their involvement in several competitions.

Therefore, once Geragusian has recovered, he could remain at the club, combining appearances for the U21 side with training sessions and matches for the first team. In that scenario, this season could provide the 18-year-old forward with his first genuine opportunity to establish himself in senior football at Sunderland.

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