Kristjaan Speakman's daunting and exciting Sunderland in tray outlined ahead of Premier League return

Sunderland, both club and city, are basking in the glow of those glorious scenes at Wembley as an eight-year absence from the Premier League was brought to an end.

While players, fans and staff can relax and enjoy the moment, Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman will with the club's board be looking quickly to what will be a vitally important summer. There is a huge amount of work to be done, tasks in equal parts exciting and daunting.

Here we take a look at Speakman's in-tray for the weeks and months ahead...

RESOLVE JOBE BELLINGHAM'S FUTURE

According to reports in The Guardian on Wednesday, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is determined to keep Jobe Bellingham at the club amid significant interest from the Bundesliga. Bellingham has been in Germany this week holding meetings with Eintracht Frankfurt, with Borussia Dortmund also known to be very keen on a summer deal.

Sunderland's position is strong given that Bellingham is under contract for the foreseeable future, but there are major question marks over whether the club will ultimately stand in his way should he decide to leave. Bellingham rejected Premier League overtures last summer, vowing to give the club another season to put it back where it belongs. Has been a superb servant over the last two seasons and Sunderland have long known his development could accelerate past theirs. A key part of recruiting top young talent is demonstrating that the club will not stand in their way when the time is right, and so Speakman may be inclined to do a deal if Bellingham settles on leaving. The key in that scenario will be to reach an early resolution that gives Sunderland time to react in the transfer market. No one wants to lose Bellingham, but if a bumper fee can be secured that then allows significant reinvestment back into the squad, it might be a tolerable development.

Further strengthening Sunderland's financial position would also leave the club incredibly well placed to then reject interest in other members of the squad, ensuring the core of the team that has done so well this season stays in place. Either way, it's a massive decision to be made early in the summer.

PURSUE A DEAL FOR CHRIS MEPHAM

Mepham has been called up to the Wales squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers and so a resolution on his future is unlikely anytime soon. Sunderland will nevertheless be keeping a close eye on developments at Bournemouth, as Mepham is out of contract this summer. Bournemouth do have the option to extend for a further year, which they may look to do before recouping a fee with a summer sale.

There will be lots of interest in Mepham but Sunderland's promotion gives them a chance of winning the race. Mepham has proven himself to be an excellent defender and a huge influence in the dressing room this season, and adding him to the squad on a permanent basis would be a big boost.

SECURE NEW CONTACTS FOR KEY DUO

While Sunderland have no senior players out of contract this summer, they do have some important players heading into the last twelve months of their current deals.

Top of the list are Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin, who have both been integral parts of the team's rise from League One to the Premier League and who the club will be very keen to retain heading into the top tier. Talks have slowed in recent months with both players and club understandably keen to focus on the promotion push. With Sunderland's promotion now secured, there is a clear need to find a resolution. If either or both decide that they do not wish to commit, then the club will have to consider a summer sale rather than run the risk of a free transfer next summer.

Patrick Roberts and Luke O'Nien are also currently out of contract next summer, but Sunderland have the option to extend their deals for another year automatically and so those deals are less pressing at this stage. There will be some important contractual work to do when it comes to the club's academy players, though that will be a task run in conjunction with academy boss Robin Nicholls. Trey Ogunsuyi is one high-profile player whose current deal expires next summer, and there is significant interest from the top tier.

ASSESS FIRST-TEAM COACHING STAFF STRUCTURE

Sunderland are yet to permanently replace Mike Dodds after his departure for Wycombe Wanderers earlier this year, instead promoting Alessandro Barcherini and bringing in Tom Weal as goalkeeping coach on a short-term basis. Speakman will now have to decide, most likely in partnership with Régis Le Bris, whether the coaching team could benefit from a new permanent appointment and particularly as there is very little top-tier experience in the current group. The financial benefits of promotion could also yield new opportunities on this front, with Le Bris having in the past discussed the potential merits of bringing in additional specialists around areas such as set pieces.

RESOLVE FUTURE OF RETURNING LOANEES

Sunderland will have a handful of players returning from loans at other clubs this season and though Hibernian are desperate to sign Nectar Triantis after a hugely successful spell, Speakman will have to find solutions for the others who appear unlikely to stay with the teams they have played for over the course of the current campaign. Adil Aouchiche has probably not featured enough for Portsmouth to pursue a permanent deal, while AS Saint-Etienne's relegation from Ligue 1 means they are highly unlikely to trigger the clause to sign Pierre Ekwah for a significant seven-figure fee. Luis Hemir is expected to return from Juve Next Gen, and most likely Nazariy Rusyn from Hajduk Split. Timothee Pembele is due to return from Le Havre and Abdoullah Ba from Dunkerque.

Le Bris will want to run a lean squad next season and focus on those who'll be part of his group during the pre-season period. Speakman needs to get the balance right between finding speedy resolutions for these players and ensuring he minimises the club's losses.

Sunderland will also likely need to find a new club for Ian Poveda, who has had a difficult first season on Wearside and who Le Bris is highly unlikely to include in his squad next season as things stand.

RECRUIT TOP TALENT TO THE SQUAD

The most obvious, most important and most difficult task for Speakman this summer. The Black Cats have been making preparations for the summer window in recent months, drawing up plans for the Championship and the Premier League. Sunderland's promotion brings immense opportunity in the transfer market, even if their overall strategy of recruiting talented young players who still have room to develop further won't change. Sunderland need to find a balance between recruiting players who fit their long-term goal of running the club sustainably, and ensure that they have the quality they need to compete next season. Above all else, they need to recruit players who will add to the impressive togetherness and mentality that has been so obvious in the dressing room this season.

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