Sunderland set to step up their preparations for the January transfer window

The Black Cats have been continuing to monitor the market after the summer window closed, with head of recruitment Stuart Harvey and Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman beginning preparations for what could be a crucial month.

Johnson says there is a lot that could still change between now and January, but he does already have his own ideas about potential business.

"Those conversations are always ongoing, but of course they begin to intensify when you start to approach a particular window," he said.

"There's slots in the diary to have those discussions.

"I have my own ideas on it, and as always we'll sit round a table, thrash it out and try to come out the window stronger.

"Whether that's re-signing players we've already got, bringing new players in, allowing some youngers to go out and get experience, it's about getting the balance.

"The important thing is to come out stronger and to be fair, I've been happy with that since I've come in.

"It's a long way away in terms of games, if not in terms of time.

"We've seen how quickly a squad can be affected by injuries.

"I feel like we've come through a tricky spell of our own relatively unscathed. But obviously going into the window the key consideration will of course be budget.

"What's available, do we have to create it, what's the domino effect when we sign a particular player?

"We'll have to adjust, it's not an open chequebook, so whatever we've got to do we have to maximise our budget."

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