Sunderland transfers: Mike Dodds explains his role in club's recruitment process ahead of summer meetings

Interim head coach Mike Dodds will give his thoughts at Sunderland’s next recruitment meeting as the club look ahead to the summer transfer window.

Dodds will take charge of the Black Cats’ remaining fixtures this season, following last month’s decision to part company with Michael Beale. Like many clubs, Sunderland operate with a head coach rather than a manager, whose main focus is to coach the team while others deal with transfer negotiations and signing players. 

Still, like former Sunderland bosses Alex Neil, Tony Mowbray and Beale, Dodds, who has been part of the club’s first-team coaching staff for over two years, will share his views when it comes to recruitment.

“I’ve been involved in previous meetings,” Dodds told the Echo when explaining his role. “How the recruitment meetings work, we’ll have meetings set up throughout the year. Obviously those meetings are more frequent when the window is open, or when the window is going to open.

“We will have our input and then when it comes down to the final decision on pushing the button on ‘this player’s a yes or this player’s a no’ then the club will ultimately make that decision. But they always involved, whether it be Alex, Tony, Mick, they always involved them. They also involved myself and the other staff in that conversation.

“When the next meeting is I don’t know, but I’m sure when we get to the meeting there will be a list of players and we’ll discuss those players in depth.”