da jogodeouro： This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
da dobrowin： Will Grigg’s move to Sunderland has fallen short of expectations so far but his display against Tranmere on Tuesday shows he has the potential to be a real success this season.
The Northern Ireland international scored his first league goal of the season in the 5-0 rout but his all-round display hinted that a change in manager could see a different striker donning the red and white stripes from now on.
Phil Parkinson’s first home game in charge coincided with a change in approach from the Black Cats, moving away from a negative style of play which saw them draw 19 matches last term and find the back of the net just 16 times in 11 league games this campaign.
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The new lease of life led to more chances being created and it was no surprise that Grigg was able to profit, and now both his manager and the fans will hope he can keep it up, since the striker has previously drawn criticism for his performances.
However, he showed that could all be behind him now there is a new dawn at the Stadium of Light, adding quality to the tireless effort he showed throughout.
That commitment contributed to Grigg completing two tackles, allowing the Black Cats to pen in Rovers and apply pressure on their defence which made victory an inevitability, evidenced by their 16 shots.
According to SofaScore he also made four key passes, an aspect of his game which makes up for his lack of goals since arriving in January – with seven in 36 Sunderland appearances.
With such a record it is fair to say he has been a flop so far, particularly as he arrived for £4m – an eyewatering sum which makes him the most expensive League One signing ever.
Nevertheless, he still has a lot to offer and could be key to promotion success this year. He already had four of those under his belt from spells at Wigan, MK Dons and Brentford, and now he has a manager willing to be more adventurous and daring in attack, he could really flourish.
He finished as the top scorer in League One in 2015/16 too which shows he has the quality to be devastating at this level, suggesting it was perhaps a fault of Jack Ross that he failed to deliver.