How Sunderland's retained list highlighted the three key transfer priorities for Florent Ghisolfi this summer

While Sunderland have been clear that this summer's transfer window will be quieter and less dramatic than the last, their Europa League qualification means there is significant work to be done to ensure the squad is ready for the challenges ahead.

With a number of players who played less than they would have liked last season also weighing up their options, the likelihood is there will be some movement and rebalancing across just about every area of the pitch in the months ahead. The publication of the club's retained list last week, however, highlighted three key gaps in the squad that director of football Florent Ghisolfi will need to address as a matter of priority....

Right winger

As it stands, Sunderland have something of an imbalance in their squad. They have four left wingers retained: Simon Adingra, Nilson Angulo, Chemsdine Talbi and Romaine Mundle. Adingra and Mundle both face uncertain futures and at least one is likely to be on the move this summer, but even so it is a position Sunderland will feel well set in given that Enzo Le Fée can also cover there when required.

On the other flank, Bertrand Traoré's departure means that Jocelin Ta Bi is their only senior player as things stand. Ta Bi will be given a chance to impress in pre season and is expected to remain with the squad for the campaign, likely benefiting from the club's expanded fixture list as a result of their Europa League qualification. At this stage, however, he is unlikely to be considered a starter week in, week out at Premier League level given his relative lack of senior experience. Le Bris does have other options within his squad with both Talbi and Angulo capable of playing on the right even though it is clearly not their preference. Trai Hume has also proved a dependable option in that position, his defensive nous allowing Le Bris to be bolder with his selections elsewhere on the pitch. Nevertheless, it's going to be a long campaign and the wide areas are positions Le Bris likes to rotate to ensure his players are fresh and capable of making an impact. It's easy to forget that Traoré had established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet by the time he departed for AFCON, at which point two knee injuries derailed his impressive progress. Though Sunderland and Le Bris in the end managed his absence impressively to finish the season on a high, there were spells where he was a big miss and a touch more experience and quality in this position would leave the club in a much better position to face the challenges ahead.

To become the team they want to be in the long run, Sunderland need to play with two proper wingers and this summer will be an important step towards that.

Left back

It's hard not to ultimately take the view that a parting of ways was best for both Dennis Cirkin and Sunderland this summer. Cirkin was unlikely to usurp Reinildo as Sunderland's first choice left back next season and is at a stage of his career where he needs to be playing regularly. From a Sunderland perspective, there is no doubt that Cirkin is a very good defender who proved when required last year that he is capable of playing at Premier League level. Ultimately, though, the defender has struggled with injury and as a result consistency of both availability and performance.

Trai Humes versatility again gives Le Bris real comfort in this position, as the Northern Ireland international has shown on a number of occasions he can deputise well when required. If Sunderland are able to sign Lutsharel Geertruida on a permanent basis, that will further boost their depth at full back and leave them relatively well placed for the campaign ahead. Either way, though, they will still arguably be short of one naturally left-footed defender whether that is a full back or a central defender comfortable sliding across on occasion. The extra eight games minimum through the Europa League surely mean cover and competition for Reinildo is required - the defender was outstanding last season but did miss games due to injury and suspension.

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.

Defensive midfield

This is a position that has been on Sunderland's mind for a while. As it became increasingly clear that Dan Neil's long-term future would not be at Sunderland, the lack of cover for Granit Xhaka was laid bare. It had been a key focus for Sunderland heading into the January transfer window but that is a notoriously difficult month in which to recruit and so in the end, the Black Cats opted to proceed with Lutsharel Geertruida as the main back up for their talismanic captain.

Xhaka's outstanding campaign proved the adage that age is just a number, and there's no reason to think he won't be equally influential next time around. With Sunderland likely to play at least 50 competitive fixtures next season, however, they will need more depth. One of the issues in January was that it's not easy to recruit a player good enough to compete while understanding that they start off as a very clear second choice to Xhaka. Might the extra games secured through Europa League qualification help solve that problem? Chris Rigg's emergence and Enzo Le Fée's stellar form at the end of the campaign starts Sunderland in a strong position in central midfield, but cover and competition for Xhaka a little deeper would settle their squad in this part of the pitch. We have of course known about Neil's exit for a number of months now, but the retained list was a reminder that he has not yet been replaced.

Your next Sunderland read: The seven-figure revenue boost Sunderland are in line to bank from the FIFA World Cup