Jack Ross admits he didn't enjoy 'lack of planning' on Sunderland's manic transfer deadline day

The Black Cats spent most of last Thursday desperately trying to sign two strikers before the window shut.

They eventually landed Wigan Athletic striker Will Grigg in a deal that could cost the club £4million, as well as signing Spurs youngster Kazaiah Sterling on loan.

However, a frantic day saw Sunderland speak to a number of clubs about strikers with reports of several bids being rejected.

The deal for Grigg went right to the wire, and didn't get confirmed until the following morning, and Ross admits it wasn't the ideal way he'd like to do his transfer business.

Speaking to Roker Rapport podcast about signing Grigg, he said: "(You're happy) when you eventually recruit the player who is the one you identified as your No 1 target.

"The process of getting there was perhaps not as smooth as we would have liked."

Ross says it wasn't the most stressful deadline day he and assistant James Fowler have been involved in, however.

"We had our first window together at St Mirren and we were bottom of Scottish Championship, cut adrift. Because it was just us and or analyst Ewan, we had a white board full of names and we just worked through them.

"So to say this was the most stressful one, we probably forget what that one was like because we were in major trouble and really rolling the dice. We did 10 in and 10 out that window.

"This one (deadline day) was a little bit different. Probably what we didn't enjoy was that lack of planning because it became a bit manic, that last bit, which is different to how we work.

"But all's well that ends well is the best way to describe it."