Sunderland transfer news: Alex Neil issues a strong message as he discusses Championship return

Alex Neil says Sunderland need to add quality and depth to his squad ahead of their return to the ultra-competitive second tier.
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The Black Cats returned to pre-season last Wednesday after the club's long-running ownership saga took a major step forward, with Kyril-Louis Dreyfus assuming a majority share.

That preceded a positive few days of business as Lynden Gooch, Anthony Patterson and Patrick Roberts all signed new contracts at the club.

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Neil knows there is much work to be done, though, and has said that the club are working daily to try and improve the squad.

Sunderland boss Alex NeilSunderland boss Alex Neil
Sunderland boss Alex Neil

The Black Cats will step up their work on the pitch this week before their first pre-season friendlies against Blyth Spartans and Gateshead this weekend, both of which will take place behind closed doors at the Academy of Light.

Neil has stressed the importance of being ready for what will be a challenging campaign as Sunderland look to establish themselves in the Championship after four years in League One.

"That's one thing [underestimating the division] that I'm really trying to guard against with everybody in the building," Neil told safc.com.

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"The Championship is a league that's obviously been by bread and butter for a number of years, the difficulty you have is that, unlike League One or at least from the sample I had from it, you can play top of the league and then bottom, and the games are equally difficult.

"There are no easy games, no easy points.

"You need to fight tooth and nail for every point. Providing we understand that, providing we go and try and do the best we possibly can in the recruitment window, and obviously add as much quality and depth as we can, we'll give ourselves the best chance of being successful.

"All these key elements have been discussed on a regular basis, a daily basis really, and we just want to make sure we do that as well as we can."

Neil also confirmed that Sunderland’s international players, including Ross Stewart, are set to return to the Academy of Light later this week after being given an extended break to recover from a hugely demanding season.