Sunderland transfer news: Tony Mowbray on recruitment discussions and a key summer goal

The Black Cats have impressed with an exciting brand of football this season but have struggled in recent weeks as a result of injuries to key players in a broadly young and inexperienced squad.

Sunderland's home form this season has been poor, a reflection in part of how sides have been able to play a physical, counter-attacking style that Mowbray's team struggle to match.

Mowbray says the club won't compromise their long-term plans to build a side that plays on the front foot and dominates possession, predominantly with younger players who can grow over time and become big assets. However, he says there is recognition internally that a touch more physicality and power would help add depth and balance to the squad.

That is particularly true because Sunderland will also at times be competing against sides who, armed with Premier League parachute payments and a squad to match, are likely to see much of the ball and ask different questions of Mowbray's team as they develop themselves.

Sunderland's recruitment is ultimately overseen by Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman, but the scouting operation and talent ID is headed up by head of recruitment Stuart Harvey, who Mowbray has a close bond with as a result of their time together at Blackburn Rovers.

Harvey has spent time travelling over the international break as he tracks potential future acquisitions for the club, but meetings are ongoing to prepare for the summer.

Mowbray generally does not get heavily involved in the early stages of the process but has offered some initial thoughts.

"We're having those conversations with Stuart all the time, I think as a staff we all know what we're missing and what we need to add to the team," Mowbray told The Echo.

"It's alright being a technical team - we have a lot of technical players but they're not physical powerhouses. I knew we would feel the power of Luton and yet we have to be able to play through it, round it and over the top of it.

"Our team needs a little bit of that [power] but we also need talent, and we always discuss that as well. They have to be able to play.

"You can't create an identity if every time it lands at someone's feet, they don't know where they're going and they're not on the same wavelength as everyone else, and they can't get it out of their feet and move it forward. We want to create an identity where we play on the front foot and dominate the ball.

"It's always a balance between talent and physicality, mentality. Recruitment along with the coaching department is the most important, you have to get it right and if you're not spending millions and millions then you can't afford to get it wrong.

"The assets that we're currently missing, some we'll get back through injury and some we'll need to recruit, so when injuries come along we have a like-for-like."