Sunderland are stepping up their preparations for a crucial summer transfer window

Régis Le Bris says Sunderland will look to improve right across the board this summer in a bid to ensure they don't suffer from 'second-season syndrome'.

Sunderland's Premier League safety is not yet mathematically confirmed following their heavy defeat to Nottingham Forest, but they are almost certain to be playing in the top tier next season having beaten all odds to remain in contention for a top-half finish with four games to play.

While the probability of a team being relegated in their second season drops considerably, it remains high with Leeds United and Sheffield United two high-profile examples of teams who have thrived in their debut campaign and then laboured in their second. Director of football Florent Ghisolfi has previously said that Sunderland will look to improve their squad in the transfer market but that 'stability' will also be key, with preparations well under way behind the scenes.

Le Bris added that the club will seek to improve across all domains, and that he himself would look to enhance his game model this summer.

"We'll see, it shows once again that you have to grow and move forward," Le Bris said.

"Otherwise, if you stay at the same level, you get finished really quickly. It's clear in our mind that we have to improve our team. We have to improve our club, we have to improve our coaching staff. I have to improve my game model and the way I manage the team. It's the mindset of the club. After that, you never know the [level of] the competition and the opponent."

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

Le Bris: We’ll be ready for summer window

Ghisolfi has been leading a major overhaul of the club’s recruitment department which Le Bris believes will leave them well set for the summer.

“Flo arrived late in the transfer window last season, so the main focus was to work on the recruitment output at that minute,” Le Bris said.

“After that he had now 10 months to build the recruitment structure, and they worked hard so they are really well organised. We are well connected because Flo is always connected with the recruitment stuff, and the workflow of the squad in the training sessions, but also in competition, so he can manage both sides to connect them, and I do think we'll have a better workflow for the next transfer window.

“We have a team of scouts, and they are watching different leagues with different backgrounds for the targets. So after that, they meet every two or three months to say: in this league, this target might fit this position and Flo can challenge or support the idea. So this week, they had the second or the third meeting with the scouts. So they are moving forward. I repeat, I think we'll be ready. But the market is the market. It's still unpredictable.”

Your next Sunderland read: The early Wolves and Sunderland team and injury news with two doubts and four ruled out