Ross reveals how he will approach Cats’ transfer business

Jack Ross says he will look to start Sunderland’s transfer business ‘in earnest’ – and hasn’t ruled out raids north of the border.

Ross began his tenure as Sunderland manager yesterday and one of his first tasks will be to rebuild the Black Cats squad ahead of a season in League One.

The former St Mirren boss has a wide knowledge of Scottish football from his time working there, and has already been linked with a host of players from north of the border.

He admits he will look to use some of the contacts he’s got, but says it won’t be the only place he’ll target for new signings.

“It’s something that I’m keen to explore but I’m also conscious that I wouldn’t want to make it the foundations of which I build a squad.” Ross said at his first press conference.

“I think that’s something you have to be very careful of coming from a another country, filling the squad with playerswhodon’tknowhowtowin the league you now find yourself in.

“I’d say that about the homegrown players at Sunderland too, it’s about finding the right mix that can win us this league.

“There’s good players in Scotland. The game is a lot better than people sometimes believe. There’s undoubtedly players who can make that transition.

“The one thing if that interest becomes more concrete is that it’s not a bad sell I’ve got because it is a really big club and a really good club, and one that a player can come to and progress at.

The 41-year-old also insists he has plenty time to bring players into his squad despite the reduced transfer window, and says he will rely on some of the scouting work already done by the club.

He added: “That process starts in earnest from today. It would be naive to say we won’t be in a period of transition.

“We have to do a lot of work in a short period of time to try and get things in place for the start of pre-season.

“That in itself is exciting. It’s a new start, not necessarily a complete change of personnel just for everybody in general.

“That process will continue over the course of the coming days.

“There is still enough time. The information is there, it is digesting it as quickly as possible. It is about finding the right characters for the challenge that lies ahead.”