Promotion is the only aim next season for us – Cats boss

SUNDERLAND have no time to lose as they plan an immediate return to the Championship, insists Chris Coleman.

The dust has barely settled on the Black Cats’ relegation to League One, which was confirmed last weekend, but Coleman has no intention of overseeing a season of consolidation in the third tier – promotion is the only item on his agenda. But with the current squad needing to be dismantled and rebuilt from scratch, Coleman says that work must begin now so that the majority of new signings are in place before the players return for pre-season training on June 22.

The situation is all the more urgent because, as of this summer, the transfer window will close on August 9 rather than at the end of August.

“We know we will be in League One now, and it’s not a case of consolidating – it’s not that at all,” said Coleman.

“We have got to win promotion, it doesn’t matter how we do it, we have to win promotion and get some momentum.

“We need to build a certain type of team and to do that we need the green light from the right people.

“If that doesn’t happen, this transfer window will come and go.

“People will think that we have time, but we don’t have time.

“We need to start working right now, so that when we come back for pre-season we have the majority of our signings in place, with maybe just one or two more to come.”