Sunderland captain Corry Evans has stressed the importance Ross Stewart has at the Stadium of Light with the January transfer window fast approaching. The Scottish striker is in the final few months of his contract, with the Black cats holding the option of another year.
Clear signs coming out of the club suggest they're more than likely to exercise that option, but with contract talks ongoing, transfer speculation has been continuing to mount over Stewart's future. Scottish Premiership side Rangers are among the suitors waiting in the wings, but reports of a £10million price tag has surfaced this week.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has reiterated the need to have contingency plans in place, but also warned Stewart would not be sold unless the club felt they could improve the squad. The striker scored on his return to action last weekend, just minutes after coming off the bench to make it six goals in just eight Championship appearances.
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Speaking to SAFC Unfiltered, Evans said: "You look at the squad and it's getting stronger with Ross [Stewart] coming back, Daniel Ballard, Edouard [Michut], Niall Huggins. There's been a lot of players missing in the first part of the season.
"I think going into the second-half, the club will probably look to strengthen as well in January, there are a lot of positives to take away from the first part but hopefully we can keep improving. You can't stand still in this league you need to keep kicking on.
"I think mentioning the attacking players we've got, we have got a lot of match winners in the squad, they're all capable of producing a bit of magic on the day, we just have to keep the team going and get them the opportunities and trust them.
"Especially with Ross coming back, he's been a big miss, our talisman, our main player. He was our top goal scorer last season, it's not just his goals it's his all-round play in general.
"Everyone knows what he's like and having him back, coming on and scoring at the weekend will be great for his confidence. Hopefully we can keep him fit and the attacking players fit for the second-half of the season."
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