How transfers at Sunderland actually work and who makes the key decisions explained

The transfer window opened for Sunderland and their Premier League rivals on Sunday, marking the start of a crucially important window for the Black Cats as they look to make the significant step up to the top tier.

Work has already been going on for an extended period behind the scenes, and will now step up in the weeks ahead.

So how do transfers at the club actually work and who is involved at each phase? Here we explain all, from the early scouting to getting pen on paper…

BACKGROUND RESEARCH AND SCOUTING

Sunderland’s recruitment is now an all-year round operation, with the vast majority of the background work done outside of the control of the head coach. While each window brings with it specific needs and demands, generally the Black Cats are working to identify high-potential talent from all over the world.

Sunderland have ideal profiles for each position within their squad, and are working on a general basis to try and recruit players who can fit into their preferred playing style. While this can of course vary depending on injuries, opposition etc the club philosophy is a high intensity, counterpressing style in some variation of a 4-3-3.

In theory, having a defined style allows the club to focus their scouting on players not just with high potential but with the attributes to succeed within the team shape and style. Sunderland do this through a combination of traditional and data-led scouting methods. Head of recruitment Stuart Harvey gets through a huge amount of work travelling to watch players and build relationships abroad, while a lot of work is also done closer to home to use data to assess potential recruits. While under the new regime this was initially done through a new in-house department, the work is now done in conjunction with the club’s data partners.

TURNING ATTENTIONS TO THE NEXT TRANSFER WINDOW

Sunderland are constantly monitoring that pool of potential recruits but the focus begins to narrow as the window approaches. In this case, that process was clearly complicated by uncertainty over which division Sunderland would be playing in next season. As such, the Black Cats were preparing for both eventualities.

At this point of the process, the head coach and the coaching staff become part of the process in a much more significant way. Squad audits are held, allowing the club and recruitment team to identify positions in which they might need to recruit in the upcoming window. A number of additional factors are then taken into consideration, such as whether there are any academy players potentially ready to step up and if there are any senior players whose contractual status means the club need to begin considering potential succession planning. Sunderland will also be undergoing contingency planning to assess which players could attract interest from rival clubs this summer, in order to begin work on identifying replacements if necessary.

The head coach and his staff will be feeding their thoughts into this stage of the process, with recommendations on any particular positions or attributes they are looking for passed on. Inevitably, part of the discussions this time around will have been looking at any particular additional needs Sunderland will have as a Premier League club. Do they need to add a little more top-tier experience, for example? Do the additional demands of the Premier League require a different profile of player in certain positions? Which players might have been part of the planning for a Championship campaign but might not find the step up easy, requiring greater depth in that part of the pitch? There are all the conversations Sunderland will have been having in the build up to that Wembley final, in order to act quickly now that their status as a top-tier team is secured. The goal is to arrive at a long list of targets who could fit the bill, allowing the club to have extensive options heading into a competitive and unpredictable market.

Clearly, now that his focus is no longer on the pitch, Le Bris will begin taking a very active role in adding his thoughts and making suggestions moving through the next few weeks. After a well-earned break back in France, of course. Though you wouldn’t be surprised if his phone is never far away….

FINALISING TARGETS AND GETTING THE DEAL DONE

As the final stages begin, the head coach and his staff will begin their own process of closely studying potential recruits suggested by the recruitment team, studying their clips and making their own assessments to feed back. Sunderland also place a massive emphasis on ensuring they sign players with the right attitude to fit into the dressing room and develop, so a lot of background work will be going on to learn more about the player through contacts in the game.

Clubs have to get the balance right at this stage between being well prepared and remaining open to a fast-paced environment where things can change quickly and unexpected opportunities can arise. Le Bris for example, used his connections to spot big opportunities when it came to Wilson Isidor and Enzo Le Fée last season. His connections and knowledge of the French and other European leagues could again be vital this summer.

While Sunderland have always insisted that no first-team player would be signed without the approval of the head coach, it’s a collaborative process in which there is expected to be agreement across the team. If Speakman feels a deal does not represent good value for the club or most importantly could impede their ability to do business in future windows, it will not proceed. Once agreement on a target is reached, the club then begins the process of trying to acquire the player. Harvey gets through a lot of work when it comes to dialogue with clubs, players and their representatives while Le Bris is also likely to speak to the player to give them an idea of where he sees them fitting into his team.

The ultimate accountability for the deals lie with Speakman, himself working to the brief and budget set down by the board. Sunderland’s strategy is ultimately set by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and he keeps a keen eye on developments, and has even at times in the past used his own contacts in the game as part of the process.

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