Kristjaan Speakman on building trust with Sunderland's supporters amid first major sale

Sunderland's sporting director says he hopes the club are beginning to build supporters' trust in the club's way of working after a busy end to the transfer window.

Sunderland sanctioned Ross Stewart's departure to Southampton as his contract wound down but resisted offers for a number of other established first-team players, including influential wingers Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts.

The Black Cats also made four deadline-day additions to boost Tony Mowbray's attacking options in the wake of Stewart's departure.

Speakman said he understood the concerns around player sales but having previously insisted that the club is primarily trying to build a team rather than secure profits, he believes the club's consistency can at least establish some trust.

"I understand the nervousness and I’ve got a bit of understanding of the years before Kyril took over, so we understand that factor," Speakman said.

"I think everyone would agree that we need a direction and a way of working. Obviously, not everyone will agree with that direction or way of working. That’s just the way it is. "We all agree on the objective which is to get the club promoted and keep it developing. There’s loads of ways of doing it, and that’s what makes the game so exciting and drives all the coverage of it.

"Hopefully if we can keep articulating our principles, and I agree that we need to develop that trust with supporters and that might take a bit of time.

""There was a lot of speculation towards the end of the window but we want to be judged by our actions and hopefully people can see we’re doing what we said we would. I think that’s important because I think that’s how you develop the trust."

Speakman previously said that the club were prepare to reject any offers that did not meet their valuations in future windows, and that a sale would only be sanctioned if it meant the club could then reinvest.

He believes that the departure of Stewart, which could net the club around £12 million time, was a prime example of what they're trying to do.

"We’re trying to build a team," he said.

"People make a lot of reference to what we’re doing and why, this isn’t a business trying to make profit. This is a football club trying to build a team, we just understand that a byproduct of that is that at moments, other clubs will be able to offer the fee, the terms etc. And we understand that we can benefit by then reinvesting that into the club.

"If we were simply a profiteering team, you’d have seen another three or four players leave in the summer. That’s not what we’re about and hopefully supporters can take confidence from the fact that clubs have made offers on players and our ownership simply isn’t interested.

"There will be times when those conversations come about, and Ross is a great example of that. If we’re keeping five players and losing one, supporters will hopefully see that as a good balance. We’ve got to keep moving forward, but every window has its unique circumstances."