Sunderland boss outlines clear club stance on summer player sales and shares dressing-room insight

Mike Dodds says Sunderland are in a strong position to resist interest in their best youngsters this summer, and added that he hasn’t seen any signs behind the scenes that players are keen to move on.

Sunderland’s play-off push has fizzled out disappointingly in the second half of the campaign, with the Black Cats sitting firmly in midtable ahead of the final three fixtures. Jack Clarke is expected to draw top-tier bids this summer, with Sunderland open to a sale at the right price given that the winger will be entering the final two years of his current contract.

Sunderland will likely field interest in many of their other players, with the likes of Anthony Patterson, Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham heavily scouted as a result of their regularly impressive performances. Dodds says that anyone bidding for Sunderland players will have to pay ‘a premium’ given the club’s contractual management over the last few seasons, and added that he doesn’t believe the indifferent form since the turn of the year has left those in the dressing room questioning their futures.

"It's got to be right for the football club and all those players are under contract, I don't know the exact ins and outs because my focus is on the grass, but my understanding is that they have lengthy contracts and so the club are in a strong position,” Dodds said.

“So it's really clear that if anyone wants to come and take a Sunderland player then they're going to have to pay the premium because whoever it is, you're talking about a young player who has already done well but still has the potential to develop further. You're also talking about a player with time on their contract so when you put those three things together, it's clear that you would have to pay a premium.

“That's the first point I'd make. Obviously in terms of the summer, we're going to have to look at the squad because there are areas we need to be better with when you compare this season to last, you can't hide away from that fact,” he added.

“It's been a second season in the division and there's a lot that has happened in terms of turnover of players and head coaches, so we will need to take stock and see where we can be better. Listen, I know that dressing room better than most and have a really good relationship with them, and there is nothing to suggest to me that there are players in there who want away. This [speculation] is a byproduct of playing young players and improving them, the club have shown up until this point that they won't let players go unless they feel it's right. They demonstrated that last summer and I'm sure that it will be the same again this time around." Sunderland have begun their planning for what looks likely to be a crucial summer window, with Dodds hinting last week that he does think there will be a slight but not significant change to the recruitment strategy.