SUNDERLAND are no closer to making a transfer breakthrough but Michael Beale hopes that changes soon as the Black Cats bid to avoid drama late in the window.

Beale says there are "two or three" areas Sunderland are looking to strengthen this month, with a centre-forward the obvious priority and a midfielder and left-sided defender also on the club's wishlist.

As much as Sunderland's head coach would like to get that business done as soon as possible, he's revealed there's "nothing to report" as things stand and says the fact Premier League clubs have lost players to the ongoing African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup has slowed the market this month.

While Beale remains hopeful Sunderland will bolster their ranks this month, he again stressed the importance of signing players who will add to the first team squad rather than "pad it out". And as the club's recruitment work continues in the background, Beale says his focus is on the players currently at his disposal as the Black Cats prepare for Friday night's visit of Hull City.

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After revealing that nothing is imminent on the transfer front, Beale was asked whether there's an acceptance that business will likely go down to the wire.

"I hope not, I hope not," he said.

"I think with AFCON and the Asian Cup, one or two clubs have lost players. I think it then also becomes a bit of a bidding war, doesn't it. With the number nine position as well, the club did invest in four in the summer and so we want to get them going as well.

"Every single manager you speak to this week is going to show a little bit of frustration because even if you got three or four you wanted, you always wanted one more. That's just the nature of it. I came here because I was really excited by the squad I have, so the most important focus for me and my coaching staff is on the boys in house while the executive board are working away on our recommendations and trying to get one or two in.

"You'd like that to be sooner rather than later because we're playing really important games every seven days at the moment. It could be costly come the end of the season couldn't it. We can't take our eyes off the group we have in-house. They've shown enough to beat anyone in this league so let's focus on them.

"If we can get one or two in to help it would be a big boost. If not we still have a good team.

"We've got two or three areas where we feel we could help the team, and that's help us now and then also moving forward from the summer. We've got to do what's right for the club in terms of working within the budget.

"Also, we want good players. We don't want players who are going to come in and sit behind me [on the bench]. I think the performance on Saturday deserves maybe one or two players to go into that team and really push and challenge those players, to then rotate in and out if we have injuries. We don't feel we need players to pad the squad out. I think that would be wrong, certainly when we have players who are developing and have high hopes for the future.

"We need to focus on the team we have in-house, that's a good team. Let's focus on that then try to add to it."