Who needs who the most?

That was my immediate thought when the news came through that Sunderland had signed Republic of Ireland international striker Aaron Connolly.

As regular readers of this column will know, I have been banging on since January telling anyone who will listen that the Black Cats needed to sign a frontman with Championship and/or Premier League experience.

There was no joy in January and it was the same story in the summer transfer window.

But now Sunderland have dipped into the free agent market to bring in Connolly and he fits the bill having made his breakthrough in the top flight with Brighton and having also spent time in this division with Middlesbrough and most recently Hull City.

With summer signing Ahmed Abdullahi’s debut delayed as he recovers from groin surgery, Eliezer Mayenda has stepped up to the plate - and scored two goals already - but it is unrealistic to ask the Spanish teen to shoulder the burden alone until the New Year.

Once fully-fit and up-to-speed, Connolly will share the load with Mayenda, and also offer head coach Regis Le Bris a second option in the final third.

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But, to return to my initial question, there is no doubt that Connolly needs Sunderland just as much as Sunderland need him.

The 24-year-old was released by Hull over the summer and found himself at something of a career crossroads, having yet to make the most of the talent that saw him mark his first Premier League start with two goals for Brighton against Spurs in October 2019.

Connolly has himself acknowledged the part that off-field issues have acted as a handbrake on his career.

On welcoming Connolly to the club this week, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman added: “Aaron needs an opportunity to re-establish himself and to reset the perception of him as a professional athlete.”

He will get that opportunity at Sunderland.

And if he needs an example to follow, he should look at the way Patrick Roberts has rebooted his career on Wearside.

Roberts was something of a footballing lost soul when he arrived at Sunderland.

The man labelled a ‘mini-Messi’ while coming through the ranks at Fulham had made a big money £11m move to Manchester City but did not make a single start in his seven years at the Etihad.

Instead he found himself on the loan carousel, with stops at Celtic, Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Derby County, Spanish side Girona, and French outfit Troyes.

In January 2022 he joined Sunderland in League One, helped the club win promotion to the Championship, and was a leading light as the Black Cats reached the play-offs under Tony Mowbray the season before last.

Last season was a campaign to forget for everyone in red and white, but Roberts has been back to his scintillating best this term.

Sometimes it is simply a case of a player finding the right club to call ‘home’.

It worked for Roberts at Sunderland. Let’s hope it works out for Connolly too.

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Sunderland’s game against Middlesbrough last weekend was a character test for Regis Le Bris’ side.

Four successive wins were followed by a disappointing - and unexpected - defeat at Plymouth, and it was important that this young team responded to that setback in the right manner.

Chris Rigg’s cheeky backheel finish, allied to another clean sheet, gave the Black Cats victory at the Stadium of Light against a strong Boro side, and it means Sunderland head to Watford tomorrow sitting second in the table with five wins out of six so far.

Sunderland passed that character test with flying colours and the players deserve all the credit.