In his exclusive discussion with our chief Sunderland AFC writer, Phil Smith, Methven offered a number of updates on the future of the club following their new investment from American consortium, FPP Sunderland. But what were the key points from his engaging interview? Scroll down and click through the pages to see what the club’s executive director had to say on a wide range of subjects – from January signings to Juan Sartori:
5. Juan Sartori's involvement is set to increase
“Juan is in the first stages of his first political career in Uruguay, but he will here on a much more regular basis going forward,” Methven said. Photo: Frank Reid
6. Methven believes the investment can take Sunderland to the 'next level'
He said: “We needed to be ahead of the game and the good thing about this is that it will enable us to do the things we know need to be done to take Sunderland to the next level. Really it’s to embark on phase two of the rebuild of Sunderland, having had a gruelling 18 months stripping everything back to ensure there’s no wastage anywhere." Photo: Frank Reid
7. Methven claims he and Donald were never looking to sell the club
“It is [a different arrangement to a controlling stake] but Stewart and I never set out to sell the club,” he said.
“That wasn’t the aim. The aim was to make sure that Sunderland had a sufficient capital base to be able to move forward." Photo: Richard Sellers
8. FPP approached negotiations with a 'multi-faceted' approach
Methven admitted: "The conversation with FPP was more multi-faceted, they said they were interested, that they thought we’d done a good job and got things into a good shape. They have an interest in investing into European football clubs that they think have potential, so that was the opening conversation." Photo: FRANK REID