Alex Neil's big transfer hints and the likely Sunderland XI emerging: What we learned at Bradford

Alex Neil admitted his side were well below par, but added that it was better go through these issues now than when the season begins.

So what were the key lessons we learned ahead of a crucial few weeks on and off the pitch?

Sunderland hope striker pursuit will soon pick up pace - and it needs to

It’s widely known that Sunderland have been tracking striking targets from the Premier League, including Everton’s Nathan Broadhead and Tottenham Hotspur’s Troy Parrott.

After the Bradford City defeat Neil discussed the club’s search in depth and without mentioning names, he did reference the fact that the club

As part of this, he noted that many Premier League teams have taken large squads with them on their pre-season tours abroad, and hinted that this has included a number of Sunderland’s transfer targets.

Neil said: “As I’ve said before, 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?

“You can’t sign a player if he’s in a different country,” Neil later added.

That Sunderland are in need of a breakthrough is obvious.

With Ross Stewart’s minutes being carefully managed, Neil opted to put a second striker into his side against Bradford, hoping that would add some more presence and threat to mitigate the Scot’s absence.

Though Neil felt generally the shape of his side was good, Harry Lewis was barely tested in the home goal.

You feel for Jack Diamond, who is keen to make an impression but is struggling to do so in an unfamiliar role.

As it stands, Neil’s options to change games in the final third are severely limited. He has attacking midfielders and wingers for sure but in terms of freshening things up if Stewart tires or needs support, there is a major gap in this squad.

The head coach is hoping that top-tier teams returning to the UK and finalising their plans for the season ahead will spark movement in the market.

The positive is that these potential targets have been training in a high-intensity environment, which should leave them with less catching up to do if and when they arrive on Wearside. Neil said the club are banging the door down as much as they possible can. It needs to yield a return sooner rather than later.

Alex Neil is also on the hunt for a goalkeeper

It was a mixed night for Jacob Carney, who was impressive in how quickly he was able to get off his line to snuff out some dangerous Bradford breaks.

His inexperience also showed at times, though, and he will feel he could have done better for the opening goal.

Neil heavily hinted afterwards that Sunderland would look for an experienced keeper to provide cover and competition for Anthony Patterson, which could itself allow Carney the valuable opportunity to go and get regular senior football on loan.

Sunderland need to be able to keep Jack Clarke on the wing

Sunderland signed Jack Clarke in part because of his versatility. He had played as a striker for Spurs U23 in the early stages of last season and done it well.

As it stands, the Black Cats may need him to reprise that role at some point across the early stage of the season.

But at Valley Parade it was noticeable how quickly and how strongly he came into the game when Sunderland reverted to a back four and he could move to the left wing.

He had the beating of his marker just about every time, and Elliot Embleton clearly enjoyed being able to bring him into the game.

The Black Cats did not necessarily get better after moving to 4-2-3-1, but in an attacking sense the 21-year-old very definitely did.

The Coventry City line up is really taking shape now

There are two more pre-season friendlies to play and Neil will likely split the minutes across his playing squad.

That will be the last chance for players to change Neil’s thinking as after this disappointing performance, it feels as if there aren’t too many positions still really to play for.

You would say that there is still a question mark over who is best suited to playing right back, though Trai Hume has had a good few weeks. The centre back pairing still feels quite difficult to definitively call as Bailey Wright catches up on minutes, as does the midfield slot next to Corry Evans. Who joins Patrick Roberts and Alex Pritchard in playing behind the striker is also not easy to read, though you strongly suspect it will be Jack Clarke or Elliot Embleton.

In short, the core of Neil’s preferred XI from the play-off campaign look likely to be in situ when Coventry City arrive at the Stadium of Light a week on Sunday.

Sunderland have got a good one in Aji Alese

All young players need time to adapt and Aji Alese is going to be no different.

He has been at West Ham United since he was eight, and even lived within a few minutes of the training ground.

This is a big move for him and one that came round very quickly. He’ll need to find his feet, and there were some understandable signs of that in his first full 90 minutes.

Also evident was his pace, and his willingness to constantly show for the ball to start moves. Alese will have ups and downs this season, as players like Dennis Cirkin and Dan Neil did last time out.

The potential is clear and exciting all the same.

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