Phil Parkinson has turned things around at Sunderland in recent weeks and there is now plenty to be positive about at the Stadium of Light.

Not only do the team now sit in the play-off places with one eye on the automatic promotion spots, but the Black Cats boss has made two astute signings in Kyle Lafferty and Bailey Wright.

The pair should be relatively inexpensive given they were not part of first-team plans elsewhere, yet both have international experience and are tested at a higher level than League One so should have a positive influence on the squad.

Added to that, there is interest in several goalscoring midfielders who could make an impact, while rumours are also circulating regarding players who could leave the club.

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Getting rid of deadwood

It is fair to say that the first half of Sunderland’s season went horribly wrong, culminating in the sacking of Jack Ross and a call from fan groups for owner Stewart Donald to leave the club.

Much of that was due to the underperformance of several players, most notably strikers like Marc McNulty and Will Grigg who have scored a combined three league goals this term.

The possible negative influence of Aiden McGeady may have also played a role, so Parkinson’s bold decision to transfer list the player and remove him from the first-team is already paying off.

In regard to the other two mentioned, Parkinson has done little to squash talk of the pair leaving the club, possibly because it is a move he would support.

Ross has targeted his former signing McNulty at Hibernian while Salford remain keen on another of his signings in Grigg, and have reportedly offered to pay £5,000 in wage contributions – half of his salary.

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The Sunderland manager should give careful consideration to allowing both players to leave, as doing so would likely free up funds for him to add another forward of his own – possibly Liam Boyce who has been linked previously this month.

So far Parkinson has done little to get in their way while working out a good strategy for recruitment, and for that he should be commended.

Meanwhile, our team of Football FanCast writers have offered their opinions on a potential addition who has been linked with Sunderland.