Sunderland to overhaul academy recruitment team after two staff depart to Wolves and Leeds United

John Tweedy and Paul Midgley have left the Academy of Light, with the Black Cats hoping to announce new appointments imminently.

Head of academy recruitment Tweedy has joined Premier League outfit Wolves, having worked for Sunderland since 2011.

Midgley, meanwhile, has joined Leeds United after a two-year spell as recruitment lead at Sunderland.

The Black Cats are now looking to restructure their academy recruitment team after believing it has grown stale in recent times.

A number of highly-regarded people have been approached, with the club looking to make the most of the FPP investment brought into the club which will allow them to put more focus on the youth set-up.

It is understood Sunderland has recently advertised for a number of new posts including lead phase recruitment, talent ID co-ordination and national scout.

Executive director Charlie Methven, who is officially stepping down from his role on Thursday, told the Echo last month: “If you go up to the Championship it's not suddenly about throwing money at players. What you need is an embedded structure.

“There is no point doing it once you have achieved promotion, you need to be already looking and identifying players now and that's why we will be putting these structures in place with the new investment.

“That is the same with bringing talented players into the academy, one to help your first team and two to potentially sell on, as there's a significant demand for these players."