Cats needing to exercise great deal of patience
SUNDERLAND are in transfer talks with ‘numerous’ players according to boss Alex Neil – but are not in control of the timing.
The Black Cats have brought in four new signings this summer but are still in need of several more additions to strengthen key positions.
Unsurprisingly, Neil wants new recruits in place as quickly as possible to give him the maximum amount of time to work with them ahead of the new season.
However, it is proving difficult to push deals through quickly.
Following his side’s pre-season defeat at Bradford on Tuesday night, Neil said: “There have been ongoing discussions with numerous players from different clubs and the minute we get something across the line, which I can assure you we want to have done as soon as possible, then everybody will be made aware.
“At certain times, though, that process cannot be speeded up by what we are trying to do.
“We are banging the door down as much as we can. I don’t want to do my business on the last day in August – I want to get my business done as quickly as possible.
“As I say, the simple fact, unfortunately for us, is that we are not in control of that.
“There are a lot of teams at the moment, certainly from the Premier League, who are only just coming back from trips abroad.
“You cannot sign a player if he is in a different country.”
Top of Neil’s shopping list is to bring in attacking reinforcements as competition and cover for Ross Stewart, who at present is the club’s only senior specialist number nine.
He added: “I am naturally concerned by the fact we currently have one centre-forward in the building.
“There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to try to make sure we remedy that.
“That situation has not changed over the last few weeks.
“I am not standing here saying everything’s terrible because we only have one centre-forward.
“We have discussions with regard to who we are going to try to get in, who we are speaking to, how we are going and where it is.
We are banging the door down as much we can – I want my business done as quickly as possible Cats boss Alex Neil
“We need to talk to other teams and then it becomes a question of are they going to let players out on loan, are they going to sell them, what are they going to do with them?
“Unfortunately, that is not our decision. We cannot dictate when we get hold of those players.
“Naturally, I want them in just now but you are not always in control of that situation.”
Sunderland are also in need of players in other positions, with at least one goalkeeper also high on Neil’s list.
Academy graduate Anthony Patterson performed well in the second half of last season and is likely to start the new campaign as first choice – but Sunderland are in need of cover and competition for him.
Former Manchester United youngster Jacob Carney played in Tuesday’s friendly but his first-team experience is limited to just a single outing in the EFL Trophy last season against his old club’s under-21s. Asked about the goalkeeping situation, Neil said: “Jacob’s a young lad, he is inexperienced but I think he will become a good goalkeeper. We as a group are inexperienced.
“Even a lot of our older lads, they have not played at the level we are now going to.
“That carries its own risk but equally it is quite exciting in that the lads might go there and do really, really well.”