Our Sunderland fans are getting desperate here in the Transfer Tavern after another poor performance last weekend.

The Black Cats put in an abject display at home to Stoke City as they lost 3-1 and they never really looked like challenging the Potters.

Indeed, it was a display that will surely worry David Moyes that the club simply are not good enough as things stand and so new signings are surely a must.

Certainly, our landlord is of such an opinion and reckons if the Stadium of Light outfit want to even come close to staying up, they’ll need to bring in some players.

Where better, then, than to look at the upper echelons of the division for potential new recruits?

Our landlord reckons that’d be the best thing to do for Sunderland right now and thinks that, in particular, the club should sign this Chelsea man and this Arsenal player…

Branislav Ivanovic

Sunderland need experience and calmness at the back and that is what they’d be getting with this man.

Ivanovic has had a season to forget with him well out of contention for a starting spot for Chelsea at the moment. It’s unlikely he’ll ever get it back, too, and so David Moyes should try and prise him away. He could play centre-back and that’s where our landlord reckons more options are needed in the north east.

Kieran Gibbs

Patrick Van Aanholt has been one of the stars of Sunderland’s season – not that there’s been many.

He bombs forward brilliantly and is a real threat whilst he can also defend but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have competition for his place. Indeed, it might even pay off for him to play as a left-winger and our landlord reckons in that eventuality signing Gibbs from Arsenal would be a good idea.

Thoughts, Sunderland fans? Let us know below!