Revealed: How Sunderland's finances will be affected by COVID-19 - and why it could hit contract talks and recruitment

That’s according to leading football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley of Sheffield Hallam University, who believes that the Black Cats’ receipt of parachute payments will help them through unchartered territory.

All EFL fixtures are currently suspended until April 30 at the earliest, meaning clubs will be deprived of regular match day income for a number of weeks.

However, the league have provided financial support for their clubs having unveiled a £50million aid package earlier this week - meaning a minimum of £252,000 will be heading to Sunderland, with an additional £182,800 able to be borrowed as an interest-free loan.

But will this be enough to get the Black Cats through a tricky period?

“I think for now, yes,” said Plumley, speaking to the Echo.

“But I think the problem for Sunderland here will be the figures linked to the league they are in at the minute.

“That figure of £250,000 is quite a lot for some League One clubs, but for Sunderland it’s not - when you consider the amount of income they would generate on a match day, the costs that they’ve got as well, plus they’ve got one of the highest wage bills in the league too.

“They are in the final year of their parachute payments so that will cushion them in this league as well, and they should be okay up until the end of this season - assuming we get the games played, which is what everyone wants.

“So they should be alright, based on parachute payments alone.”

Plumley, however, feels that difficulties may come when Sunderland look towards the summer transfer window and dishing out new contracts.

While it remains unclear how, if at all, this summer’s trading period will be affected by the extension of all domestic leagues, there are a number of contractual issues which need addressing on Wearside.

And with supporters potentially holding off on purchasing season tickets - the revenue from which is often earmarked for transfer business - there could be some adverse effects when it comes to recruitment.

“We want this season to be finished, and that’s absolutely paramount in terms of finances as well,” explained Plumley.

“But this is about the time where clubs start to see season ticket money come in, and there will be a natural pause on that which could have implications for the transfer window and negotiations with out of contract players.

“What you tend to find is that clubs will use that money from season ticket sales to fund the transfer market.

“Clubs are in a bit of limbo at the minute, and it’s about keeping the fans on side over the next few weeks.”

There are some steps clubs can take in a bid to prolong their sustainability.

A number of sides have already scaled-back their operations, with Barnet and Hearts hitting the headlines for their cost-cutting measures following the outbreak of COVID-19.

And Plumley believes they won’t be the last sides to employ such measures in the near future.

“For some clubs where they are thinking that the EFL payment isn’t enough, the only thing you can do at the minute is strip your operations back as much as possible,” he said.

“We’ve seen some clubs starting to do that, but you still have to pay staff at certain points. If the club shop shuts, for example, you need to make sure that those staff still get paid.

“So it’s about trying to run on as minimal costs as possible for the next few weeks, while also trying to maximise whatever you can out of the income that remains.”

Such measures won’t stave off financial worries at some clubs, though, with a number on the brink during this difficult period.

Indeed, Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony suggested earlier this week that as many as 30 per cent of clubs could face administration if more financial support from the EFL and FA was not forthcoming.

Speaking to TalkSport, he said: “Every club is in the same boat.

“In my estimations, without a stimulus like the one on Tuesday and a bigger one to come, you're probably going to have 30% of clubs go into administration by mid-summer. That's the reality of the situation.”

Plumley believes his estimation won’t be too far from reality.

“I don’t know whether the percentages are correct in terms of 30 per cent of clubs, but there will definitely be some who are certainly on the brink financially.

“If you look at where we’re at now, it will naturally affect clubs lower down the leagues a lot more because most of their income comes from the fans and match day income.

“So as long as that is paused, you have a pause in the lifeblood of the club’s income.

“These payments will tide clubs over for the next few weeks, but the question will be what happens next?

“The £50million from the EFL is great, but is that enough and is there more available? I don’t know.

“We don’t know if there’s anything more in reserve that the EFL have got, and things could become trickier as the weeks go on.”