Under their current ownership, Sunderland’s transfer model has shifted to focusing on bringing in younger players and banking on them developing.
In the summer transfer window, Sunderland let experienced pair Danny Batth and Ross Stewart leave the club, with some feeling they were not adequately replaced.
The club have just sacked Tony Mowbray as boss and he was critical of the ultra youth focus.
Gabbiadini pointed out that Sunderland are consistent, but believes that with their current youth-based model, it will take a long time for the Black Cats to get into the top two.
He pointed out that the recruiting team are doing some things right as some of the players they have brought are doing well for the club, but stressed that Sunderland need experienced players in their team who will do the horrible stuff to help them push into the top two.
“The consistency is there, but how do you break into the top six or even bigger, top two, with the type of process that we are going through? Gabbiadini said on Total Sport North East.
“It is going to take a long time, you would think, if we keep chopping and changing, buying and selling and bringing in young players all the time.
“Now the rider to that is that loads of these players are doing all that, the recruiting team are doing some stuff right.
“There is a crossroads somewhere where you have to have that experience to go out on the field and do horrible things and do the things that people do not notice, stand up in the fight and do horrible stuff that you only get after playing 300, 400 football games and that is what we are missing at the moment.”
Sunderland are currently sitting in ninth place in the Championship table with 27 points from 19 games and are three points adrift of the last playoff spot.
