LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Jermain Defoe of Sunderland celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Sunderland at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
2. Jermain Defoe
The veteran English striker Jermain Defoe is having yet another solid season in terms of goal production. He leads the team with 14 goals up front, which is 58% of the clubs total for the season. Usually the only attacking player up top, Defoe has a huge responsibility each and every game.
The ex-Tottenham striker continues to prove that he can play at a high level in the footballing world. His expert movement off the ball makes him the perfect striker for a team such as Sunderland who lack a real drive. Defoe always looks to go all out for the team, creating as many opportunities to score for himself and other teammates. Despite being 34, he could feature in a Premier League team next season that struggles to find the back of the net.
Defoe has scored goals against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. Though he may not be the same caliber he once was, Defoe can still put in a shift for a mid table team next season. Teams like Burnley and Leicester, who are struggling to score goals but still should stay up in the top division, could benefit from the production of Defoe. He may be getting older, but Jermaine Defoe continues to score goals and deserves to be in the Premier League next season.
Jordan Pickford</a>. The 23-year-old has already been targeted by the big clubs in recent rumors, and for good reason.</p>
<p>It seems hard to fathom, but without Pickford, Sunderland would be even worse off than they are now. While he only has two clean sheets, Pickford has recorded 84 saves on the season. That is good for third best in the league, behind only Tom Heaton (106) and Ben Foster (89). His shot stopping ability combined with his potential to grow puts him in a good position to move up in the goalkeeping ladder.</p>
<p>Four of the five wins Sunderland have this season have come with Pickford in net. An early season man of the match performance saw him pick up eight saves in a tough 1-0 loss to Tottenham. With teams like Arsenal and Manchester United after the youngster, Pickford will likely be on the move to a bigger club once the season comes to an end. He has yet to break into the senior England team, but it will only be a matter of time until he grabs the starting spot for his country.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/03/13/4-players-target-sunderland-get-relegated/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> An ageless striker </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_432447" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-432447" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/03/13/4-players-target-sunderland-get-relegated/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F03%2F633787786-crystal-palace-v-sunderland-premier-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Jermain Defoe of Sunderland celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Sunderland at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. Jermain Defoe</h2>
<p>The veteran English striker Jermain Defoe is having yet another solid season in terms of goal production. He leads the team with 14 goals up front, which is 58% of the clubs total for the season. Usually the only attacking player up top, Defoe has a huge responsibility each and every game.</p>
<p>The ex-Tottenham striker continues to prove that he can play at a high level in the footballing world. His expert movement off the ball makes him the perfect striker for a team such as Sunderland who lack a real drive. Defoe always looks to go all out for the team, creating as many opportunities to score for himself and other teammates. Despite being 34, he could feature in a Premier League team next season that struggles to find the back of the net.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/03/13/4-players-target-sunderland-get-relegated/3/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/nKrEHw-5UIk?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Defoe has scored goals against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. Though he may not be the same caliber he once was, Defoe can still put in a shift for a mid table team next season. Teams like Burnley and Leicester, who are struggling to score goals but still should stay up in the top division, could benefit from the production of Defoe. He may be getting older, but Jermaine Defoe continues to score goals and deserves to be in the Premier League next season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/03/13/4-players-target-sunderland-get-relegated/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A young outside midfielder </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_432450" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-432450" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/03/13/4-players-target-sunderland-get-relegated/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F03%2F594873140-sunderland-v-shrewsbury-town-efl-cup.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – AUGUST 24: Adna Januzaj of Sunderland celebrates after scoring the first goal during the EFL Cup second round match between Sunderland AFC and Shrewsbury Town FC at Stadium of Light on August 24, 2016 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. Adnan Januzaj</h2>
<p>Once a blossoming starlet at United, Adnan Januzaj has had a decline in terms of overall output. With just one goal coming in August against Shrewsbury Town, Januzaj has again had a disappointing season in terms of goal production. Januzaj does have three assists on the season, however. His dribbling and work rate have their moments, showing flashes of brilliance every now and then.</p>
<p>The talent is there, it just seems that Januzaj needs to be given the right tools. There are some points in a game where he seems like he is about to dribble through the entire opposing team himself. Other times, though, he looks as if he could not be bothered to even give 50%. It is the times when he does give it a go that make him a player worth trying.</p>
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<p>United is still Januzaj’s club, as he is just at Sunderland on loan. There is no way that he would fit into the team Mourinho has now, let alone get a spot on the bench or even the reserves. Shipping him off to another team would be the likely option for the Red Devils. It is just a matter of who would want to take the young Belgian.</p>
<p>At just 22 years old, there is still plenty of time for Januzaj to develop into a solid footballer. Going down to the Championship with Sunderland, should they exercise an option to buy him, would only damage him mentally. Hopefully United can work out a deal with a club in a top division to take Januzaj and give him the time and effort he needs to at least somewhat grow into the player everyone thought he would become.</p>
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<h2>4. Didier Ndong</h2>
<p>Defensive midfielders have been in great demand in the past few seasons. Many clubs love having a strong, versatile midfielder in front of their back line that can win the ball and start counter attacks. Gabonese defensive midfielder <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/03/13/4-players-target-sunderland-get-relegated/3/"https://www.whoscored.com/Players/149599/Show/Didier-Ndong">Didier Ndong</a> has done his best to fill this role for the bottom dwellers this year.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>His transfer from Lorient was a club record at £13.6 million, so he has a big deal to prove still for that price. Though he is on a five-year contract, the 22-year-old midfielder is a perfect addition to a mid table Premier League side. If he is not able to leave Sunderland this summer, finding a new club on loan may be his best option. He has the skill to perform at the top-level as well as the potential to grow into a very solid defensive midfielder overall.</p>
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