How recruitment at Sunderland actually works and how they go about signing a player as January planning steps up

The January window is starting to loom on the horizon, with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus speaking this week about Sunderland's preparations as they look to build on an excellent start to the campaign.

So how does recruitment actually work at Sunderland and how do they go about signing a player? Here we run you through the process, from the initial stages right through to the famous scarf pic.

The background work

The first thing to say is that no two deals are the same: some are months in the making and some can happen in a matter of hours. Take this summer, for example. After the departure of Jobe Bellingham the club moved quickly to sign a number of players including Noah Sadiki, Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi. These were high-potential players that Sunderland had been tracking for some time for if and when they won promotion to the Premier League, and who clearly fitted the long-term philosophy. But Bertrand Traoré was a player not really on the radar until the very end of the window, when Sunderland were in negotiations to sign Brian Brobbey. With Patrick Roberts closing in on a move to Birmingham and Ajax keen to raise extra funds, Sunderland were presented with an opportunity to add Premier League experience and cover in a key position. The deal was done with minutes to spare and over the course of just a couple of days. So being both well prepared but also agile is key for any club.

Mostly, though, Sunderland are recruiting players they have extensively scouted. While this is done via video and also through extensive data research, both using the club's internal database and their external data partners, it's also done in person. In his role as head of recruitment, Stuart Harvey spent a lot of time on the road to see players in person and to start building relationships. Having a rapport with clubs, players, their families and their agents can be crucial when it comes to beating other clubs to a signature. The process can also work the other way, whereby you spot a talented player in person who you can then assess more closely through extra video analysis and data. A lot of this work will now fall to director of football Florent Ghisolfi, who is currently reshaping and building the club's recruitment department for the Premier League era. The idea is that when Sunderland start to focus on an upcoming transfer window, they have all the knowledge they need to move fast and accurately.

The squad audit

As a window approaches, Sunderland will then hold a series of meetings to audit the current squad. This process is expected to start this month ahead of the January window, for example. It's at this stage that Régis Le Bris and his staff join the process in a meaningful way, working with the recruitment department and sporting director to assess what might be needed. This could be to identify a short-term need, such as a position where injuries are rife, or to identify a position where more permanent solutions are required.

It's not always about the short-term, either. When Romaine Mundle unexpectedly became available in the January of 2023, Sunderland recognised an opportunity. Jack Clarke was in exceptional form at the time, but with his contract starting to run down and with no sign of a resolution. Sunderland moved to get a successor in the building, allowing him the time to adapt and settle before he became a regular.

At this point a clearer picture of what Sunderland are looking for should emerge, and now the recruitment team can begin suggesting targets. Le Bris will then start his own analysis, poring over video clips and the research passed on by the recruitment team. He's looking to see how a player might fit into his system but as he explained last week, he's also assessing their body language and behaviours. Are they the kind of player who will fit into the club's culture? Do they respond well to setbacks in a game? He'll feed back his thoughts and by the time the window opens, Sunderland should have a good idea of their targets.

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Selling the project

Then starts the crucial work of negotiating with a club and if a deal is potentially on, convincing the player Sunderland is the right place. This was pivotal in the first part of the summer, when Sunderland had to try and convince players that they had a realistic chance of bucking the trend of newly-promoted teams immediately being relegated again. Many sources have since said that Granit Xhaka's arrival was a game changer for the club, showing prospective signings just how serious the club were.

One thing Sunderland did to sell the project to players was to get their media team to pull together a brief video which quickly captured the story of the club's return to the Premier League, featuring goals from the play-offs and the iconic scenes inside and outside of the Stadium of Light on the night of that Dan Ballard goal against Coventry City. Sunderland know it's an appealing narrative off the back of the Sunderland 'Til I Die documentary, and are using it to excite players. From there the process moves into a much more formal process of presenting to the player, giving them a clearer sense of what the facilities at the club and what life at the club will be like. They'll also at this stage speak to the head coach, who can speak in more detail about the team and where they might fit in. The roles within this presentation are usually fairly well defined but Sunderland try and be flexible. So far example, Le Bris was clearly involved earlier and more heavily with the Enzo Le Fée deal than might ordinarily be the case because of his strong relationship with the player. The same applied to Kristjaan Speakman and Jobe Bellingham, while Kyril Louis-Dreyfus was key to convincing Xhaka he should make the switch to Wearside.

It doesn't always work, but Sunderland enjoyed a strong summer window. Once a deal is agreed with both club and player, they will arrive on Wearside for a medical and for their media duties, before club staff get to work sorting all the necessary arrangements as they begin life at the club.

And in amongst all of that, of course, the famous scarf pic.

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