Sunderland AFC have completed the signings of winger Aiden McGeady from Everton and striker James Vaughan from Bury.
The new faces bringing the total number of summer signings for Simon Grayson to four, with Tyias Browning and Brendan Galloway arriving on Wearside last week.
31-year-old McGeady has penned a three-year deal on Wearside, while Vaughan has signed up for two years. The pair are set to make their home debuts against McGeady’s former club Celtic, who take on the Black Cats on Saturday 29th July, in a showpiece game at the Stadium of Light to mark the 20th anniversary of its opening.
McGeady spent last season working alongside Simon Grayson during a loan stay with Preston, scoring eight league goals and winning North End’s Player of the Year award.
Speaking about the winger, the Black Cats manager said: “Aiden’s career speaks volumes. He’s been an exceptional player and was an outstanding performer at Preston last season.
"He was recognised by the league with Player of the Month awards and he already knows a few of the lads from his Everton days. He has the pace to take people on and carry us up the pitch, and he’ll excite the supporters."
Born in Scotland, McGeady qualifies for the Republic of Ireland through his grandparents and is closing in on a century of international appearances. He also boasts considerable experience at the domestic level, having made almost 200 appearances for Celtic after emerging through the youth system at Celtic Park.
McGeady then spent three-and-a-half years in Russia with Spartak Moscow before moving to Premier League side Everton in January 2014. The winger spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday during the second half of the 2015-16 season prior to linking up with Preston, where he proved a popular figure.
Vaughan impressed last season for Bury, where he notched 24 goals in just 37 appearances – the second highest goal tally in League One and earning him a place in the league’s team of the season.
Speaking about his new striker, Simon Grayson said: “James has good experience and he scored a lot of goals last year. He’s a player who will come into the squad and give us something different because I think we were missing a striker with a physical presence – and he certainly brings that attribute.
"He’s mobile, he knows where the goal is and he fits in with the ethos that we’re trying to bring to Sunderland."
The forward started his career in the Everton youth set up in 2002, where the promising youngster was the U16s player of the year in only his first full season. He then worked his way up through the ranks at Goodison Park and went on to make 47 appearances for the Toffees, before leaving in 2011.
Since then, the experienced centre-forward has enjoyed successful spells at a number of Championship clubs, including Huddersfield Town under the stewardship of the new Black Cats boss.
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