Sam Allardyce’s brilliant triple Sunderland AFC transfer decision should not be forgotten | OneFootball

All three January signings played a significant part in Sunderland's survival in 2016.

Sunderland's January transfer window was pivotal to their survival in 2016. After five straight losses, Sam Allardyce knew he had to make quality signings to save the club's Premier League status.

Wahbi Khazri, Lamine Kone and Jan Kirchhoff were all signed in the New Year and tasked with lifting the Black Cats out of the bottom three.

After a rocky start, all three players played their part in hoisting the Wearsiders to safety in what must be regarded as a definitive swoop by Big Sam.

Big Sam endured a mixed start to his Sunderland reign

Flirting with relegation was an all-too-familiar tale for the Black Cats and the 2015/16 season was no different. After Dick Advocaat was sacked in October, Allardyce struggled to steady the side following an encouraging start.

Big Sam picked up three wins in his first six matches, with a landmark 3-0 victory over Newcastle United a standout result. However, Sunderland's form plummeted after a run of five straight defeats.

In the manager's defence, four of those losses came at the hands of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, but it was time to act if the Wearsiders were to survive.

Three the magic number for Big Sam and Sunderland

The January transfer window came at the perfect time for Allardyce as it gave him the opportunity to freshen up his demoralised squad.

Sunderland needed to strengthen in several areas of the pitch, and they did just that by signing Khazri, Kone and Kirchhoff on permanent deals.

Kirchhoff was the first of the trio through the door, having signed from Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee. Then Kone and Khazri joined at the end of the month from FC Lorient and Bordeaux respectively.

With Jermain Defoe leading the line, the Black Cats would always have a chance of survival, but this was the injection the club needed to get over the line.

The triple signing was far from an instant success. Kirchhoff was the first of the trio to make his debut and the German looked out of his depth in Sunderland's 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the Black Cats had just under half the season to change their fortunes and once Khazri and Kone were integrated into the first team, it changed the narrative.

The Wearsiders' back line instantly looked consolidated with Kone in it and the club put an end to shipping cheap goals. The Frenchman was a commanding presence at the back and also carried an aerial threat from set pieces.

As for Khazri, his weaving runs proved difficult to defend, with the Tunisian bagging a goal and assist in his first three appearances against Liverpool and Manchester United.

Despite a worrying start, Kirchhoff cemented his place in the hub of the Wearsiders' midfield and his combative style of play was the jewel in Sunderland's crown.

The Black Cats ended the season with an impressive run of form, losing only one of their last 11 games and much of that was thanks to the dynamic trio signed in January.

While Khazri and Kone's departures were unsavoury, their impact, along with Kirchhoff's, cannot be forgotten.

As far as impactful January signings go, they do not get much better than this and Sunderland will be hoping they can do something similar this month as they aim for promotion.