Jim Rodwell outlines Sunderland recruitment plans and explains where he'll fit into the current structure

Rodwell’s first priority in his new role is to establish the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the club and the various eventualities it could face in the coming weeks and months.

He is representing Sunderland in meetings with both the EFL and fellow member clubs as they attempt to find a way to conclude the current season on the pitch.

There are a number of hurdles to overcome, including the implementation of an adequate testing regime for players and staff, as well as the complex issue of players who could see their contracts expire before the campaign finishes.

Working through these issues will be an early task for Rodwell, but recruitment more generally will also be a priority.

The new CEO has insisted that his brief to make the club ‘more sustainable and viable’ is not affected by Stewart Donald’s ongoing attempts to sell the club, and making improvements in the recruitment department is one such area.

The club’s scouting network was expanded earlier his season after being drastically cutback in the aftermath of relegation to League One, and Rodwell believes more can still be done.

“I think I can help the likes of Richard Hill and Tony Coton in terms of our recruitment process,” Rodwell said.

“I think we can put some processes in place, getting a little bit closer to the data at times, that’s not a criticism of anybody, just a thought from the outside looking in.

“I’ll be at the Academy of Light to offer some thoughts, leadership and hopefully just help structure things a little bit better.”

Rodwell’s comments echo those of non-executive director David Jones, who wrote in his programme notes earlier this season of the need to implement a ‘modern system’ that can help generate significant revenue for the club.

“I believe there is huge value in building a modern recruitment system, as we did at Oxford, employing specialist analysts to use the infinite data that's now readily available, to work alongside the scouting team that Tony Coton is building,” he wrote.

“It's such a competitive market and everyone is trying to outsmart each other to identify the best young talent with sell on value; investing in recruitment is the most sensible way to develop a football club that doesn't want to rely on single-owner investment as our club did for so long to it's cost.

“You have to get the balance right of course, selling too many players will limit your on field progress and ambitions.”

Rodwell will not be involved individually in the identification of players, and the final decision will remain with manager Phil Parkinson.

Where the new CEO believes he can make an impact is in bringing a greater structure and clarity in terms of the club’s budget.

Having sat on the board of both the EFL and the FA during his time at Scunthorpe United, he also believes his contacts at boardroom level could prove useful to Parkinson and the rest of the club’s recruitment team.

“My job is about trying to instil a bit of science, some thought process in that, understanding what happens currently, but I’m not going to be turning around to Phil Parkinson and telling him ‘you should be doing it this way’,” Rodwell said.

“He’s the football expert, not me.

“I guess as the chief executive, you’re a jack-of-all-trades a bit.

“I’ll sit in on recruitment meetings, but I’m not going to have their level of expertise if we are looking for a particular position.

"I give my opinion if it’s a player I had seen play, but I don’t expect my opinion to be gospel – I certainly won’t be banging my fist on any tables saying ‘sign him’ or ‘don’t sign him’.

“What I need to do is to manage and control that budget and try to get across to people what financial discipline looks like.

“If we’re going to sign a player for X amount, I need to be able to say ‘OK, this is who you’ve identified and this is how it affects the budget’.

“It’s about how you move the pieces around the chess board.

“If we want to sign this player and this is the best deal we can make, this is how it will affect how much we have to spend on this other player that we also might want to sign.

“I’d like to think that I’m as well-connected as anyone, like Tony Coton, like Richard Hill, like Phil Parkinson, but my contacts tend to be at chairman and chief executive level,” he added.

“Sometimes it can be easier to pick up the phone and get straight answers, yes or no, very quickly without having to jump through hoops.”

The uncertain fate of Sunderland’s current campaign means that Rodwell is currently refining two potential playing budgets for next season, one of the Championship and one for a third season in League One.

Rodwell is predicting a ‘drastic drop’ in the transfer market and that playing budgets through all three EFL divisions will be reduced as a result of the likely cash requirements of completing the current season behind closed doors.