Sunderland are stepping up their preparations for a crucial summer transfer window as the season nears a conclusion

Régis Le Bris says stability and continuity will be key as Sunderland prepare for a quieter summer transfer window.

Le Bris says work is ongoing behind the scenes to ensure that Sunderland can strengthen their squad to build on a successful first campaign back in the top tier, and that the overhaul of the recruitment structure put in place by director of football Florent Ghisolfi means the club is operating from a stronger foundation.

However, he has made clear that no one at this stages anticipates a similar overhaul to last summer where the club signed 14 players in a bid to bridge the gap to the top tier. Sunderland believe there is room for individual improvement across the squad and while eager to strengthen, remain determined to give those players time and the opportunity to grow as players at Premier League level.

Le Bris's comments echo those of Ghisolfi earlier this year, who said that 'stability' will be a key word this summer just as it was in January. Sunderland added young wingers Nilson Angulo and Jocelin Ta Bi to their squad in a window that saw the club work to trim their squad.

"We want stability, it's really clear," Le Bris said.

“After that, the market is the market, with different events, opportunities and so on. So we'll see, but stability will be key. I think the season gives us a strong platform.

"This new season, with 14 new signings, the performance was good and the connection between the lads was good too. There is still room for improvement everywhere with this squad. Sometimes, you might say this is the end of the story for 20 or 40 per cent of the group because the connection is not the same and you need freshness. You need a change in ambition. But that is not the case here, at the minute. It will be important to build on the foundations we have created together because we feel as though we still have so much to do with this squad. Then, it will still be important to add two, three or four players to help the starting XI and also improve the core of 16 or so for the first-team squad. That is what we will be trying to do.

“We don’t need a repeat of what happened last summer," Le Bris added.

"There are areas we will want to strengthen, but this is another stage of our journey now. It is different. The transfer window will still be important because the recruitment phase will influence the whole season. If you make a mistake, it can be hard, although it is never easy to anticipate everything. You always assess a player in a different environment, with different connections, a different background, different team-mates and opponents. It is hard to anticipate how they will react to a new club but I think the structure is getting better – we are much better aligned, with more people. We have more tools and options to see the full market. Before we had to make different decisions with a focus on certain countries and markets - now it is possible to go a bit wider. We will see what happens this summer."

Le Bris admits that a high-profile departure is possible, but added that the club is in a strong position financially and will not allow the squad to be broken up.

“The club doesn’t need to sell," Le Bris said.

"After that, in football, you never know what will happen with a big, big offer. We will see. There should be less unpredictability next season, but unpredictability is still there in the structure of football and of life."

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Why Sunderland fans shouldn't expect a major summer overhaul

While Le Bris has already been clear that Sunderland will look to improve across the board this summer in order to mitigate any risk of 'second-season syndrome’, he believes consistency on and off the pitch will be key.

Le Bris said: “Will there be seven or eight players in the team sheet at the start of next season that are playing here now? Probably, I hope so.

"We had a conversation with the performance staff just before and we know exactly how we will work at the beginning of next season. We have references together now, about the tactical side of things. We won’t start from scratch, we will start with 38 games behind us, that means 38 weeks or prep, 38 reviews and so on. The culture now is bigger. The level of detail is not about the first layers anymore, we are probably at the third, fourth or fifth. It is always important to reinforce the foundations because you don’t speak about details if the foundations are not good, but with stability, you can think that you will have this platform."

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