Bruce wants more goalscorers

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has admitted he needs to sign another top quality striker as he looks to guide his side into the Premier League top ten.

The former Wigan and Birmingham manager sold Kenwyne Jones to Stoke City for £8 million in the summer and is short of firepower as a result.

Bruce can always rely on Darren Bent to score goals in the Premier League, but he needs to ensure he has other options who can take some of the goalscoring burden off the former Spurs man's shoulders.

The Premier League top scorer betting suggests he'll be in with a good chance of landing the golden boot, but he can't be expected to carry the side.

With Jones gone, the young and unproven trio of Fraizer Campbell, Martyn Waghorn and new on-loan signing Danny Wellbeck are the only other options available to Bruce.

Sunderland's goalscoring problems were highlighted as they lost 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion at the weekend and the Black Cats manager has now stated he needs someone to boost his side's striking prowess if they want to push on this season and break into the Premier League top ten, or even get European qualification, something the Premier League odds suggest is very unlikely.

He told the Daily Star it is "absolutely paramount" that he compensates for the loss of Jones by bringing in another quality striker.

"We've got a couple of young lads in Danny Welbeck and Martyn Waghorn who will play their part, but they are young boys," Bruce said.

"I would not want to get to the end of the window without another striker here."

Bruce has been a busy manager this summer and has signed eight men, but he has admitted that he has been forced to throw some of them in "at the deep end" and he expects them to take some time to adjust to the rigours of Premier League football.