Sunderland's rapid-fire business so far this summer has certainly entertained those watching on.
To date, the Premier League newcomers have welcomed in eight fresh faces that have cost an alleged £140m in total, with their ninth purchase now in the offing as a deal to bring in Marc Guiu on loan from Chelsea for the season edges nearer to being completed.
With Regis Le Bris also now tied down to a contract until 2028 in the Stadium of Light dug-out, this summer has been an extremely smooth operation for the most part, with Jobe Bellingham's exit to Borussia Dortmund also swiftly forgotten about.
Guiu might not be the only striker addition signed off on before September's looming deadline, however, as a deal to bring in an experienced free-agent forward might also be on the cards.
Chelsea's Marc Guiu celebrates
Sunderland made ambitious move for free agent
Sunderland could well be looking to add in more Premier League experience to their ranks, away from Guiu's addition, with Granit Xhaka the only presence in their squad who has tasted the harshness of the division previously.
They have certainly tried to bring in some seasoned heads, with a new report from talkSPORT revealing that the Black Cats had lined up an ambitious play to bring Dominic Calvert-Lewin in on a free transfer, after his Everton contract had expired.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Unfortunately for Le Bris and Co., despite their obvious ambition being on full display, the injury-prone striker has decided to keep his options open for the time being, in the hope that a team higher up the Premier League standings decides to gamble on his free agent services.
After all, if he were to wrestle free of his injury concerns and get back to his Toffees goalscoring peak, he would be a real asset to Sunderland, or any other side, as the Wearside outfit potentially battle against the drop.
He could even become the Black Cats' next iteration of Darren Bent, with Bent's goalscoring exploits on Wearside somewhat slipping under the radar, much like Calvert-Lewin's best days on Merseyside have been shoved to one side amid his constant issues in the treatment room.
How Calvert-Lewin could be the next Bent
Unfortunately, when strikers go off the boil, it often receives the most attention.
Bent's playing days would unfortunately fizzle out by the time he was lining up for lowly Burton Albion in the Championship, but he will still be well remembered at the Stadium of Light for being an absolute menace at the peak of his powers.
Of course, his most infamous strike for the Wearside club would come against Liverpool in 2009, as a beachball inexplicably got involved with play, but he would score another 35 goals donning Sunderland red and white, away from this bizarre moment in isolation.
Bent would close out his esteemed career with 106 Premier League efforts next to his name. Calvert-Lewin is only 49 strikes shy of matching that bumper amount, despite being dismissed as an injury-plagued, wasteful presence in recent seasons.
|Calvert-Lewin's PL goal numbers for Everton|
|Season|Games|Goals|
|24/25|17|2|
|23/24|32|7|
|22/23|17|2|
|21/22|17|5|
|20/21|33|16|
|19/20|36|13|
|18/19|35|6|
|17/18|32|4|
|16/17|11|1|
Sourced by Transfermarkt
The 11-time England international was even once viewed as a "monster" in front of goal - as he was labelled by football talent scout Jacek Kulig - for the Toffees before his career at Moyes' side unravelled, with his output during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons in the top-flight seeing him bag a clinical 29 strikes.
Both the campaigns in question saw Everton comfortably sit in mid-table, but his reasonable seven goals during the 2023/24 season had a far more pivotal impact on proceedings, resulting in the Merseyside outfit surviving in 15th spot.
The concern will be whether or not Calvert-Lewin can wriggle free of those consistent knocks to be that same impactful presence for Le Bris' men, with Guiu no doubt boosted subsequently by having such an experienced figure by his side as he learns and grows out on loan.
Bent's goalscoring heroics for the Black Cats once upon a time enabled mid-table finishes in the Premier League to be a regular occurrence.
Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin celebrates scoring their first goal
The Sheffield-born forward will hope he can offer up the same for his potential new employers as they boldly reenter the promised land.