Where Cats stand as they target signings & what happens next
Sunderland begin their League One campaign against Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
SportingDirectorKristjaan SpeakmanspokeonMondayto discuss the summer so far, the progress made and the important work still to be done.
With some key gaps still remaining in the squad. Phil Smith has been answering questions on all the latest developments from supporters in his weekly Q&A.
Where are we at with new signings? We need a new keeper, 2 full backs & at least one striker? And we need them on permanent deals, not loans?
I broadly agree with your assessment of what’s needed, though personally I would say another option in central defence is more important than a new goalkeeper.
Sunderland want to play with a high line and out from the back where possible this yearandwhileArbenitXhemajli is working towards fitness, you need someone to help Callum Doyle who is a natural in terms of those attributes.
Twofullbacks,anewcentre backandastrikerarecertainly theclub’sfourpriorities,andit will clearly then become three fullbacksifDenverHumedoes not agree a new deal.
I don’t agree with the view thatSunderlandshouldn’tpursueloans.Theyhavebeenabsolutely crucial for a lot of teams whohavebeatentheBlackCats to promotion in recent years and it’s an area I think they need to do better in.
Dion Sanderson was a tremendousadditionlastyearand Callum Doyle will hopefully be the same; the signs so far have certainly been good.
I’dagreethatinlinewiththe visionpresentedbythenewregime in terms of the long-term future of the club, you’d expect to see some investment in permanent additions who can grow with the club.
Kristjaan Speakman has said that the club have had significant bids on the table, so hopefully we will see progress on that shortly. It’s a big couple of weeks, without a doubt.
What’s the latest with Daniel Jebbison and the interest there?
Ross Stewart has had a really
good pre-season in the way he’s brought some variety to Sunderland’s attack, able to run in behind and really stretch the play.
With McGeady, Pritchard, Embleton etc that’s going to be key to the way the Black Cats try to hurt teams. Sunderland clearly don’t want to be too dependent on Stewart and so regardless of what happens with Will Grigg between now and the end of the window, they want another option.
Jebbison was at the StadiumofLightlastFridaytowatch some of the Hull game, see the facilities, get a feel for the area, andholdtalkswithkeyfigures.
Sources indicated that at that stage no decisions had been made, and there was an acceptance that Jebbison would need a bit of time to make the right decision for his future.
Sheffield United have already made the decision to let him leave on loan, and so it’s just a matter of where he goes.
They’re understood to be in principle happy for him to come to Sunderland (and my colleague at the Sheffield Star says that is the manager’s preference) , but there is interest elsewhere in League One and with some of those teams suffering significant injuries in pre-season, they may feel they can guarantee greater playing time.
I’d imagine all the clubs interested will be reaching a point where they want a decision, so we’ll see how it develops in the coming days.
I think patience is key withthenewphilosophyand therearepositivesigns,however what are your positives andnegativestothetransfer philosophy?
Well I think the first thing to say is that there is clearly no scenario in which you’d deem it ideal or acceptable to have no senior full backs this close to the start of the season. Speakman acknowledged that and it’s imperative that’s addressed as soon as possible.
The positive is that for the first time in a while, I think there is a really clear style of play and that should mean players have a better chance of succeeding when they arrive, as the role is clear and they’ve been recruited to execute it.
Ialsoagreeentirelythatthe club should be avoiding contracting any player who they could potentially be left trying to offload next summer becausetheyweren’tutterlyconvincedthistimearound.That’s a cycle that has long needed to be broken.
I’m confident that Sunderland’s transfer business in the long run will improve as a result of the new structure, but there is clearly a pressure to get the squad robust enough to meet the target of winning promotion this season.
Sunderland have essentially taken a gamble that they will get better quality by being patient.
Let’s hope they are right.
Do Stewart Donald and CharlieMethvenhaveanysay with transfers or what players leave the club?
No. There are certain aspects that the other shareholders have a say in as a result of the agreement struck with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, but as the majority shareholder it is the 24-year-old who drives and is ultimatelyresponsibleforfootballing strategy.
JuanSartoriisontheboard and so has input in that regard, but Donald is not (though his views will obviously be represented).
Targets are identified on a collaborative basis between head of recruitment Stuart Harvey, head coach Lee Johnson and Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman.
Thedataanalysisplaysabig partinthat,alongsidethemore traditional scouting.
Speakman leads negotiations with other clubs and targets, while the ultimate decision in terms of what fee/ spend is sanctioned will of course always rest with LouisDreyfus.
The board and ownership group will of course be accountable for the club’s progress and decisions as a whole, but it’s Louis-Dreyfus and
Speakman who are ultimately primarilyresponsibleforSunderland’sprogressonthepitch (in my view, at least).
There are clearly still some unresolved questions in terms of Madrox, the ownership structure and in particular where their stated commitment to settling the parachute payment issue currently stands. But on the pitch, this will be the Louis-Dreyfus vision.
I do think, generally, the communication around the deal that Louis-Dreyfus did to buy the club has not been transparent enough, and it’s clearly not helped in terms of theanxietymanyfanshavehad this summer.
What happened with Liverpool left back Tony Gallacher, who was said to be close to a move?
We spoke to Lee Johnson when it was reported that a deal was imminent and he simply said that Gallacher was one of many options Sunderland were considering in that position.
There’s no doubt Sunderlandexploredamoveandthere were talks held over the terms of it. Ultimately, they’ve decided to pursue other options.
The success or otherwise of that, and how those players fare,willIguessdefinethewisdom of that call.
Why have Sunderland not moved on from Denver Hume?
Sunderland feel the injury Hume is still recovering on has had an impact on negotiations andhasalsomeantthereisless time pressure, as he was never going to be fit for the opening stages of the season.
As such they were more than happy to give Hume time to weigh up his options, as a number of other players they have been in talks with from elsewhere have done.
We are now approaching a time when the Black Cats need a decision, though, without a doubt.
What’s happening with the backroom staff? There’s now two key vacancies?
I think some turnover was inevitable, particularly given that Andrew Taylor and Lee Butlerwerebroughttotheclub by Phil Parkinson to be part of his backroom staff.
The timing is perhaps not ideal but I’d expect the goalkeeping coach situation to be sorted very, very soon.