The 6 major hints on Sunderland's future plans and what fans can expect dropped by interim CEO Tom Burwell

Following the surprise announcement of David Bruce's pending departure as Chief Business Officer this summer, Sunderland fans have been given an insight into the club's plans moving forward by interim CEO Tom Burwell.

Burwell spoke to The Echo last week and was a guest on the Business of Sport podcast - which was released on Tuesday - discussing the recent changes and what's next. Here, we look at what we learned about the club's future from Burwell.

Sunderland's new CEO will be the club's crucial figure moving forward

Burwell explained that a key part of the club's high-profile ongoing restructure is to integrate business and football operations, which have largely sat separate under the current ownership. When a new CEO is appointed, that figure will have responsibility for the day-to-day running of all aspects of the football club. It's a huge brief, and Burwell explained that the club believed they need to restructure to create an environment that can create a high-calibre appointment. Getting that appointment right will be crucial to ensure the next stage of the club's development is a success.

Sunderland stadium expansion is on the agenda - but far from a done deal

It was already widely known that the expansion of the Stadium of Light was on the club's radar, given their interest in the council's Sheepfolds development plans. Burwell confirmed it is a 'constant conversation' at the club but also outlined why the picture is more complicated than first appears.

Given the current costs of manufacturing and the dividend adding a four or possibly just five-figure number of seats would bring, there is an internal debate about whether an expansion at this stage is worth it. It's very clear that the club are eager to increase their hospitality offering, with Burwell noting that the club currently has a waiting lost for boxes which bring in more revenue and noting that the new Everton stadium has around double the number of premium seats as the Stadium of Light. It's clearly a strong possibility that they focus on addressing this first, or that any expansion addresses this as a key issue.

Sunderland are - in theory - in a decent position for new SCR rules coming into force

Burwell noted that Sunderland predict they will sit 13th or 14th in the table for revenue this season, which they expect to be around the £200million mark. It's not clear whether that figure includes the boost from the imminent sale of the club's women's team, which will offer the club a major cash boost but no benefits under the new SCR rules coming into force. Even so, Burwell's comments explain why the club supported the new rules when many of the teams currently around them in the table did not. While they will make it very difficult for Sunderland to break in to the top six given the huge revenue advantages those clubs hold, they will give the club an edge on those around them with smaller underlying revenues. If the club can drive new commercial growth as it intends to, they will be in a good position to consolidate.

None of this is to say that Sunderland have an unlimited transfer pot or that they don't ever need to sell players, because this isn't the case. The rules are tough and to keep investing, Sunderland will need to be very prudent and departures along the way are inevitable. If Sunderland can consistently hit £200million in revenue or grow from there (ambitious, admittedly) then the occasional bumper sale would leave them in a decent position as long as they keep getting things broadly right in the transfer market.

New sponsorship deals are on the way at Sunderland

Despite the gambling ban coming into force this summer, Sunderland expect to land an improved front-of-shirt sponsorship deal this summer having essentially agreed a cut-price deal (by Premier League standards) after promotion last May. Burwell also revealed talks are ongoing with a number of other new potential sponsors, which would hand the club a welcome revenue boost ahead of those aforementioned rules coming into place.

And so is a new 'membership programme' for Sunderland fans

Burwell also told the Business of Sport podcast that a membership programme would soon be launched. While this would offer some benefits (and cost) to season ticket holders, the primary driver would be to grow revenue nationally and more importantly, internationally. Many Premier League clubs operate such a programme and this is another sign of Sunderland looking to catch up after their long exile from the top flight.

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Sunderland are hugely ambitious - but have to take the loyal fans with them

There is no doubt that this a hugely exciting time to be following Sunderland. The goal is to establish the club in the top ten of the Premier League, the first phase of which was that hugely ambitious summer transfer window. Much of the recent change off the pitch is the club's attempt to catch up with that development, and put the structure in place that can sustain and grow a top-tier team. It's arguably the strongest foundation the club has had in two decades.

The challenge for Sunderland is to ensure they don't move too quickly, and leave themselves in a difficult position if there is a drop off on the pitch in the next year or two which history suggests is still very much a possibility. More fundamentally, they have to ensure their growth doesn't leave behind the fans who were there at its lowest ebb. Burwell spoke well about maintaining the connection with fans and how it is key to selling the club abroad: Liverpool were cited as an example of a club who have done this very well. This will likely jar with many of the season ticket holders who have endured a deeply frustrating experience in the recent renewal process. Sunderland are a club on the up, but this has set a worrying precedent.

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