How Sunderland's transfer recruitment actually works explained - and what's happening now ahead of summer window

Head coach Tony Mowbray says there has already been dialogue about what might be needed to kick on next season, while head of recruitment Stuart Harvey has been scouting during the international break

Recruitment meetings at the Academy of Light are underway and will grow in frequency as the crucial decisions near.

So how does it actually work: how are decisions made and who actually makes them? Here, we run you through the process from start to finish.

The background work at Sunderland

One of the key areas of investment since the arrival of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has been in the data analysis and recruitment team at the Academy of Light, which has been rebuilt from an almost non-existent entity under the previous regime.

All of these teams and staff are ultimately overseen by Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman, but the recruitment team reports initially into Harvey. Fundamentally, the aim of the recruitment operation is to identify talented young players who could potentially thrive within the profiles that have been specifically designed for each position in the Sunderland XI.

Data forms a vital part of this initial phase, streamlining the process and also in broadening Sunderland's scope, potentially allowing them to identify players from undervalued markets and divisions that they might not be able to track with more traditional scouting methods.

This work goes on both through and in between transfer windows, allowing Sunderland to have an extensive database of players who could potentially be valuable acquisitions, from which the hierarchy can then select according to the needs of each specific window. This process also moves the other way, with Sunderland constantly evaluating how the team and the individuals within it are performing when compared against the very top level in the division.

Building the bigger picture at Sunderland

Sunderland are not driven entirely by data and do scout traditionally, watching players who could be of potential interest in person. The data points the Black Cats in the right direction, from which they then undergo more extensive research.

Harvey in particular does a huge amount of travelling to scout potential targets. Being on the ground can also for some really important work to be done in building contacts and bridges ahead of a future move.

A significant part of this phase is also doing extensive background work to learn about the player off the pitch, their background and what their personality is like.

Determining how a player would fit into the group on Wearside and how the dynamic of the squad might be impacted is an important part of the process.

Mowbray talks constantly about needing players with a 'growth mindset', and recruiting the right personalities is seen as being every bit as important as recruiting the right players.

Preparing for the window at Sunderland

All of that work then begins to allow Sunderland to narrow their focus as a window approaches.

The recruitment team will meet to look ahead and determine in which positions Sunderland are likely to need to recruit in the upcoming window. Part of that will be based on the obvious short-term needs of the squad, and the positions in which the head coach's options are currently light.

Part of it will also be based on the possible longer-term needs of the squad, identifying positions where it might be wise to recruit a player who can bed in to the group over time and emerge as a successor to a player who could, for whatever reason, be moving on in the future.

This could be a loanee or a player attracting significant interest from elsewhere. The club will also be considering whether any of the young players in the academy might be ready to step into one of the positions being discussed.

The head coach has an input at this stage of the process, offering advice on what they feel is needed. At this stage the club will now really begin to focus on potential targets.

Select and engage

Where the head coach does become part of the process in a more major way is the final phase, in which the hierarchy will decide to move on a player. The decision will be a collaborative one, with a profile and extensive background presented to the head coach on a target.

If the head coach approves, and the Sporting Director is satisfied that it is a deal that works for the club, then the wheels begin to turn on trying to strike a deal.

Ultimately it's the Sporting Director who drives the deal and its terms, operating within the budget that has been set by Louis-Dreyfus and the ownership. Where the head coach might be involved at this stage is in talks with the player, to outline where they'd fit into the team and what to expect if they make the move.

The process, of course, doesn't always quite operate in such a structured manner. Part of the remit for any club and recruitment team is to be able to respond quickly to the way the market can rapidly change.

Players can unexpectedly become available or move within your budget parameters, perhaps because the circumstances at their current club have changed. The aim is to build a database and a level of knowledge that allows you to adapt quickly and rationally.

So, where are Sunderland right now and what’s next?

The central aim of the strategy since Louis-Dreyfus has arrived at the club has been to fill the squad with young talent who can grow over time with the club. The squad Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman inherited had very little resale value and that was something both set out to change swiftly and significantly.

Developing players from the academy is also a key part of the strategy, but that clearly is a much longer-term process and particularly when so many of the best talents from the upper-age groups has been sold in the 18 months before the change of regime.

The key is getting the balance in investing in younger talent who can help the club move towards a more sustainable model, and ensuring the group can deliver results in a pressurised environment. The free-transfer additions of players such as Danny Batth and Alex Pritchard have been an absolutely vital part of Sunderland's development.

Louis-Dreyfus has spoken of moving into a phase of being more specific in targeting areas of need from window to window in future, albeit still very much in line with the general policy of investing primarily in young talent.

The dynamics of this summer window are therefore fascinating because though the support for the club's policy and the brand of football it has produced is significant amongst supporters, there is also a clear need to address some key shortcomings in the squad after a disappointing end to the January window. Mowbray wants better depth in key positions, and some different attributes to compliment the technical players he so enjoys working with.

It is going to be a major test of the club's operation to recruit up front in particular, a position of obvious need but one where striking permanent deals within a relatively tight Championship budget is a difficult challenge - as seen over the last two transfer windows.