Régis Le Bris confirms Sunderland summer transfer plan and outlines current recruitment discussions

Régis Le Bris says Sunderland will look to add some Championship experience to their squad in the transfer window this summer and says he is very comfortable with his role in the recruitment process.

Le Bris said Sunderland's work to strengthen the squad is ongoing but will also be partially guided by his assessment of the squad and its individuals as he gets to work with them more closely in the coming weeks.

“I am comfortable with the process," Le Bris said.

"We don’t know the result because this part of our work (recruitment) is very complex. But I am comfortable with the process. Of course, the team is young, but if you look at the last two seasons, the young players – 18, 19, 20, 21 – they will have gained some experience. That is useful for the future. But then also, we are thinking about one or two more experienced players, who know the Championship very well, for example, and have high standards when it comes to training. They can help dictate the way of playing, and lead the team during the game. These kind of players could be young or could be older. We have all of these ideas in our brain, then we have the issues of the market, which is never simple. But with work, and the quality of the organisation, I am sure we will have a good team by the end (of the window).

“We have been having meetings every day about the team. Everybody here at the club wants to understand my game model, and the way I can assess the players. Then, on the other side, they know all of the players very well and they have been bringing me some information. We are working together on that, then we will train, and that will be a very important step. Some players could have some answers to the training methods, others might not answer in the same way. We need to experience all of that together – maybe two or three weeks to see how it will evolve."

Le Bris said the club was 'well aware' of the need to strengthen the forward line, but insisted that responsibility would have to be shared across the squad.

“Everyone can score goals," he said.

"If the responsibility is only on the striker, then it is always going to be difficult. We know that this position is always very important for a team, and of course, the club, the organisation, is aware of this problem. We will see what happens. We are working on things. We have to keep things confidential, to be effective at the end, but we are working.

“I need to be clear about the different kind of players we have, and in which position they could be better," he added.

"With some of them, that is not clear at the moment. Some of the midfielders, for example, could be a six, an eight or a ten. It is only in the games and the training that I will see that and understand how they can play. I think everybody knows that, in attack, maybe we have lacked a bit, but it is the training and games that will show us what we need. We need to use our strength before the recruitment. That is the way of thinking for development. People always think that the solution is outside, but the first step is inside. Let’s see what we have inside and then after, we will see what is needed for the team.”

Sunderland return to action in their first pre-season friendlies against Gateshead and South Shields next week.