Phil Parkinson lifts the lid on Sunderland's recruitment system as he eyes further additions

“Coton headed up the club’s scouting department but left earlier this summer as part of a major overhaul behind the scenes.

Head of Football Operations Richard Hill, who had led all transfer and contract negotiations since Stewart Donald took over the club, also left.

Much of Hill’s work is now the remit of CEO Jim Rodwell, but Coton’s replacement has not yet been named.

The new salary cap rules have meant more complications for the Black Cats, though Parkinson has said he is ‘confident’ he can assemble a squad capable of pushing for promotion when the new League One season begins in September.

Parkinson says the club’s Head of Performance Analysis, Mark Boddy, has ben particularly crucial in the club’s recruitment work.

Speaking to the official club podcast, #SAFCUnfiltered, Parkinson said: “Tony watched a lot of players and gave me a list of players who he thought would be right.

“We worked together on that and now that Tony has left, there is a gap to be filled in that role.

“But the staff together, along with our analysis, are working very, very hard to identify the players who fit into how we want to play.

“Mark Boddy, our analyst, is very important at this time of year,” he added.

“Any player we're looking at, he'll go through the clips on our systems and give us his opinions.

“He can filter, because we get so many players pushed to us, especially from abroad, and he quickly filter the ones we should be looking at.”

Parkinson is eager to make a further five additions to ensure his squad can cope with what is set to be a punishing schedule next season.

He is eager to add a new left-sided defender, cover and competition at left-back, as well as a striker and a goalkeeper. A proposed move for former Burton Albion midfielder Scott Fraser also indicates a desire for more creativity in midfield, though that deal is one of a number to be affected by the new salary cap rules, which Parkinson admits has forced a ‘reassessment’ at the club.

"We tried to get a couple in before Friday but those deals didn't quite get over the line,” he said.

“It was the decisions of the agents and the players on that one and when you're going for players who have Championship interest, it can be difficult.

“We've had to change tack a bit in the last couple of days and reassess what we're going to do.

“I'm still confident we'll have a strong squad but one or two we thought we could get, are not in the marketplace right now.”

Former Manchester United and Everton defenders Demetri Mitchell and Morgan Feeney have both trained with the senior group as Parkinson assesses a possible move.

Feeney did not turn 21 until February of this year and as such, would be exempt from the salary cap rules.