'It all comes down to having a long-term vision' - New Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus speaks after taking charge at the Stadium of Light

The new chairman has already made his presence felt in the appointments of Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman and Chief Operating Officer Steve Davison.

Speakman was the key figure in the selection of Lee Johnson as head coach and yesterday announced the outcome of his initial assessment of the club’s academy structure.

Head of Coaching Lewis Dickman has been appointed as the new Academy Manager, with Stuart English arriving from Birmingham City to take up his previous role.

Leann Cowperthwaite has been appointed Head of Academy Operations.

And fans will hear from him direct for the first time tonight, with the club releasing a video interview.

Ahead of the Fleetwood Town game, the club has released a section of the interview.

Speaking to the club, Louis-Dreyfus said: “I have obviously had a lot of thoughts going forward over the last few months, what we want to achieve and how we want to get sustainability and success.

“I think it all comes down to having a long-term vision, which we have now begun with the appointment of Kristjaan Speakman, Steve Davison and Lee Johnson which I believe will play a key role in us going forward.”

The full interview will be played at half-time of the Fleetwood Town game as part of the club’s live stream.

Earlier today, Louis-Drefyus moved to appoint two close allies as directors at Sunderland AFC.

In a number of significant updates posted at Companies House, it was also confirmed that neither Stewart Donald nor Juan Sartori remain as directors at the club.

Both have retained a minority shareholding in the club alongside Charlie Methven as a result of the deal that has seen Louis-Dreyfus become controlling shareholder and Chairman.

This move nevertheless reflects the limited influence they are now set to exert over club affairs moving forward.

Louis-Dreyfus has unsurprisingly been installed as a director, as have Igor Levin and Patrick Julien Treuer. Both have close connections to Louis-Dreyfus.

Levin is a legal representative of the Louis-Dreyfus family.

Treuer, meanwhile, is the CFO of the Louis Dreyfus company.

The updates have also confirmed the departure of CEO Jim Rodwell, as announced by the club last week.

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