Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC Q&A: Insight into a crucial January window and boardroom change discussed

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But with a takeover nearing and the Black Cats making their first moves into the transfer market, there was plenty to discuss in our weekly Q&A with readers.

You can read all the questions and answers from Phil Smith below….

What is the significance of Neil Fox’s resignation as a director?

Sunderland head coach Lee JohnsonSunderland head coach Lee Johnson
Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson
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I think it is a potentially fairly significant move, though one that does need to be put into context.

Fox is a long-standing business associate of Stewart Donald, and was brought in by Donald to essentially oversee the business operation at Sunderland following Madrox’s takeover in the summer of 2018.

While a lack of day-to-day leadership has been a key factor in the failures of Madrox since their arrival, Fox was essentially the figure carrying out Donald’s work on Wearside.

As such, he was a prominent figure behind the scenes and influential particularly when it came to decisions on the business side of the operation.

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His role very obviously became less significant with the arrival of CEO Jim Rodwell, and the subsequent influence he has had on the club’s operations.

Nevertheless, it does seem to be an indication of the shift in the power base at boardroom level that will accompany Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ takeover.

Until we know exactly what the respective shareholdings will be, and who will be in charge on a day-to-day basis, there of course remains an element of the unknown about the takeover.

It does seem though that change is on the horizon and we’ll all be keeping a close eye on any further developments in the days and weeks ahead.

Will the EFL ratify the takeover in time for Lee Johnson to get the players in he needs?

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It’s a really interesting question and probably best summed up by Lee Johnson himself, who told us that the takeover means he doesn’t yet have ‘absolute clarity’ on what he can and can’t do in the transfer market.

The first aspect of the question is when the takeover will be ratified.

It’s obviously a busy time for the EFL for all sorts of reasons, and it was not for no reason that the club statement announcing the imminent arrival of Louis-Dreyfus stated that a decision from the EFL was not expected until mid-January at the earliest.

However, there aren’t expected to be any issues with the ratification process and sources at the EFL have suggested that the current climate will not mean a delay.

So it looks optimistic on that front.

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The second part of the question is what, if anything, Johnson can do in the meantime.

Sunderland’s business will be limited anyway by the salary cap rules, and in the interim period Johnson has been working with Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman to draw up a list of targets.

A number of potential options have been identified and some work on trying to do a deal is underway.

Johnson himself described the process as putting good options to the owners within all the parameters he is facing, both in terms of finances and the takeover.

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There seemed to be a belief that he could do some business, even if it is fairly limited, regardless of the ratification.

Clearly, though, that would make a major difference to how the window looks for the head coach.

Will the manager be buying players in this transfer window, I know EFL have curtailed spending vast amounts of money but will that affect spending in this window?

It is very difficult to see Sunderland spending significant fees under the current regime for the obvious reason that the takeover is expected to go through soon.

When ratified, that may well open things up for a little more investment and while the salary cap limits both wage spending and the size of a squad, it does not prevent clubs spending fees.

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Of course, we know that Louis-Dreyfus’ plans focus heavily on the academy and development, rather than lavish spending in the market, but equally he is ambitious and he will know the value of strengthening the squad.

Either way, major signings seem unlikely in this window (the wider financial climate in the game remains immensely challenging regardless of who owns a club).

To answer the question a little more specifically, Johnson was asked directly last week whether he was entirely reliant on the loan market.

He said that was not the case, and that permanent additions were not being ruled out.

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It’s understood some of the potential deals being explored would be permanent additions, though it’s worth stressing again that we aren’t talking about huge fees.

But the clear signal from behind the scenes is that if a player can add value to the squad and a deal can be done within the salary cap and at a very reasonable price, an attempt will be made to get it done.

Why can’t we score goals? And why aren’t we doing anything about it?

I think it’s pretty much Lee Johnson’s top priority to do that this month, but he’ll go about it in a couple of ways.

He has already spoken about having good, technical players who he rates highly, but too many who want to come to the ball and a shortage (it says much about how poorly the club has operated in recent times that Jack Ross identified this problem about four months into his tenure) of players whose instinct it is to get in behind and stretch the game.

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‘Disrupting’ the opposition back four is a central part of his attacking game plan and mixing up the threat in his side is a key priority this month.

Jack Diamond’s impact has changed the picture somewhat, but it’s clear that he will still be open to adding another attacking option and most likely in central areas.

The issue as we know is that Sunderland have a lot of bodies in that department and finding another suitor for them will not be straightforward as a result.

We’re still waiting to hear how serious Will Grigg’s knee issue is, and that could complicate things a little further.

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Either way, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t an attacking addition this month.

Another thing Johnson has mentioned (although this was quite early on his tenure) was that while he rates his midfield options, he feels there is perhaps a lack of creativity. Sunderland are certainly a little too reliant on Grant Leadbitter in terms of playing those high-risk/reward passes.

That’s another area where he could potentially look to boost the attacking threat of his side more generally.

The return of the club’s best full-back options from injury will certainly help, too.

Is Anthony Patterson leaving on loan?

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Sunderland are still weighing up which players they will loan out this month, and Patterson will clearly be one who comes into that category.

It strikes me as a bit of a no-brainer.

Johnson rates him highly, noting how he commands his box a lot more naturally than most goalkeepers his age.

But Lee Burge is performing steadily and deserves to keep his place in the side, so it makes sense to get Patterson some experience and look again at his development in the summer.

I’d be looking to extend his current deal (which expires in the summer) and then look to sort a loan move.

Are we good enough to go up and which teams do you think have been the best you've seen in the league this season?

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I think it’s still a very open league and to be honest, I don’t think there’s a side who are really standing out as significantly better than the rest.

Portsmouth were excellent at the Stadium of Light, strong and quick, and I suspect if you finish above them you’ll win automatic promotion.

To be honest, the side who’ve most impressed me most otherwise have been MK Dons! I thought their pace and commitment to their style was excellent. Clearly they’ve struggled with consistency on the whole and I think it reflects the fact that this isn’t the strongest League One we’ve seen.

I’ve been really impressed with how Lincoln City have bounced back from a dip, and you have to respect how they and Hull City have churned out results so far.

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Generally though it’s there for the taking, and you can see that through how Oxford United have climbed right back into play-off contention after a wretched start to the season.

So there should still be a real chance for Sunderland, but that the gap to the top two is already widening.

They need to find some consistency very, very quickly and they badly need some variety in their attacking options.

It’s been a disjointed period of late but Sunderland’s inability to consistently beat sides in the bottom half of the table is a long-running issue.

If they don’t solve that, they won’t make up the ground.

Do you think Johnson might put O'Nien back in his proper position of central midfield to give us some kind of attacking threat and guile from there?

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It’s a really interesting question and I think it reflects how well Luke O’Nien has done since arriving.

He’s been one of Sunderland’s best players, has adapted superbly to a new position, and the general perception for all of us is that he still has more to give.

At the moment, O’Nien gives an awful lot to the side’s balance from full-back, because of his energy and willingness to get forward.

Conor McLaughlin has done well this season but ideally you’d want O’Nien and Hume in those positions to improve the team’s threat generally.

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Dion Sanderson is making his mark, though, and maybe there’s a scenario in which he can replicate that threat from right-back and allow O’Nien to move a little further forward.

Generally, I think Johnson is eager to give himself more options in midfield.

He rates Leadbitter, Scowen and Power but as I mentioned before, he will want more options and we haven’t seen much of George Dobson of late.

I expect him to do that through the transfer market and he has targets in midfield positions, rather than moving O’Nien, but it will be one to watch when he’s fit again.

What have you made of Lee Johnson's performance as manager so far?

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It’s been difficult to make an assessment because it has been such a disjointed period and there has been next to no time to work regularly with the players on the training ground.

I think generally it’s encouraging that alongside Speakman, there is a refreshing commitment to thinking about things a little differently to recruitment and I’ve no doubt that in time, we’ll see that create a more dynamic team on the pitch.

Even in the short time we’ve had to judge so far, I think we’ve seen a desire to be a more attacking outfit.

Hopefully that will bring results but as with every manager/head coach, it’s all about what support is in place for them.

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The recruitment department, still hugely underpowered, is the perfect example of that.

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