The Black Cats are set to be ambitious in continuing their policy of investing in young talent, while their form this season will almost certainly have attracted the attention of Premier League teams.
Here we assess the key storylines likely to dominate this summer on Wearside, with one or two key decisions already made.…
5. CAN JAY MATETE BREAKTHROUGH
Though he was not necessarily a constant in Plymouth Argyle’s starting XI, Matete’s loan move was a big success as he featured regularly and played an important part in the club’s eventual League One title triumph.
Matete will return to Sunderland a better and more experienced player, but the expected arrival of Bellingham and the form of Pierre Ekwah means he will be facing significant competition. Both player and club will be eager to ensure he gets the playing time he needs, and pre-season will be key to ascertaining how likely that is on Wearside. Photo: Frank Reid
6. JACK CLARKE'S RISE
Clarke’s brilliant campaign underlined not only his quality but also his durability, a constant in the starting XI and a regular in terms of making significant goal contributions.
That is said to have alerted the interest of Premier League teams, including Crystal Palace and Brentford. That could encourage Sunderland to try and sign Clarke up to fresh terms, though he is still at this stage just one season into a four-year deal. Photo: FRANK REID
7. POTENTIAL CONTRACT RENEWALS
As it stands a number of key first-team players are heading into the final twelve months of their contract.
As well as Stewart and Cirkin there are: Danny Batth, Alex Pritchard, Patrick Roberts, Lynden Gooch, Luke O’Nien, Niall Huggins and Corry Evans.
It would be no surprise to see Sunderland look to reward some of those after such an impressive campaign, and in the case of Roberts - the club would surely be keen to avoid encouraging any interest from elsewhere. Photo: Frank Reid
8. DECISION TIME FOR ROSS STEWART AND SUNDERLAND
Stewart’s focus first and foremost has to be on getting fit and firing after his second serious injury in a season.
He is now entering the final year of his deal, however, and that could potentially leave Sunderland with a decision to make should the long-term interest in his services materialise. As of yet, there has been no indication that the significant gap between the two parties on the terms of any new deal have been meaningfully bridged, and given Sunderland’s push for greater sustainability they are unlikely to countenance the possibility of one of their key assets leaving for free.
For now recovery rightfully remains the key focus, but this long-running story could return right to the top of the agenda towards the end of the summer. Photo: FRANK REID