Sunderland AFC set to sign ex-Brighton striker | OneFootball

Aaron Connolly is set to join the Black Cats

Sunderland are set to sign ex-Brighton striker Aaron Connolly on a free transfer, as per Roker Report.

Connolly, who was last at Hull City, scored 10 goals in 33 Championship games for The Tigers and will be joining the high-flying Mackems in their pursuit of promotion this campaign.

It is reported that the 24-year-old arrived in the North East on Sunday, with a view to completing a deal the following afternoon. Connolly has been a free agent since leaving Hull in May.

A Republic of Ireland international with Premier League experience

Connolly is a Republic of Ireland international with Premier League experience, though his once considerable stock has fluctuated over the past few years.

Born in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, the forward was picked up by Brighton and Hove Albion aged 16 after impressing in his local Galway & District League.

As a 19-year-old, he garnered plenty of attention by scoring a brace in a 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.

Unfortunately, Aaron would only go on to score a further three times in England's top flight before loan spells with Middlesbrough, Venezia of Italy, and Hull City, the latter acquiring Connolly on a permanent deal last campaign.

Connolly was a favorite of former Tigers boss Liam Rosenior but following the manager's sacking earlier this year, he was released from the East Yorkshire club when his contract expired in May.

Aaron Connolly offers more depth up top

Sunderland currently finds themselves sitting second in the EFL Championship table, boasting the joint-highest goals scored in the league (13, joint with Burnley). So it begs the question, do they really need a new striker?

It is implied that Connolly will be brought in initially for squad depth and this may be necessary as only Coventry City (19) have used fewer players in the league than the Wearside club's 20.

Despite the form of the team as a whole, there may be an avenue for Connolly to break his way into the XI sooner rather than later. Their current starter, 19-year-old Spaniard Eliezer Mayenda scored twice on the opening day, though has failed to find the back of the net in each of his last four appearances for Régis Le Bris' side.

Aaron Connolly offers pace and experience

Short in stature and possessing lightning-quick pace, Connolly is an unusual profile of centre forward that has been known to both dazzle and frustrate fans in equal measure.

His Championship goal tally is respectable, bagging 0.59 goals per 90 last campaign.

Bizarrely, the 24-year-old will be one of the older, more experienced characters at the Stadium of Light this season, as Sunderland have the youngest average age of any Championship side this season (22.9).

As a player that rose to stardom so young, one aspect of Connolly's experience that may be helpful is mentoring the abundance of teenage talent playing in red and white this campaign. The likes of Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham may do well to listen to Aaron's advice on what not to do when appearing destined for a fruitful top-flight career.

Depending on wages, this appears to be a shrewd and unproblematic signing by Le Bris. In the form the club find themselves in, you'd hesitate to question any decision made right now.