Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson.Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson.
Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson.

This is your new-look Sunderland AFC team - if the summer talk is true

Sunderland are set for an interesting start to the season, with Lee Johnson in need of additions to bolster his squad.

But how could the side look once the trading period closes?

Johnson is eyeing new additions during the summer, with defensive reinforcements believed to be top of his list.

Sunderland are seeking options at left-back following the contract situation surrounding Denver Hume.

A number of rumoured targets have already come and gone this month, with Alex Pritchard, Callum Doyle and Corry Evans the only first-team players to have arrived on Wearside thus far.

But he’s unlikely to be the last face through the door with Johnson still optimistic that he will land his desired targets before the deadline.

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo recently, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman provided an update on the picture at the club.

"On the field, we're really comfortable with the progress that we're making," Speakman said.

"You want to try and change the style of play to something that people want to come and watch, and I think you can tangibly see we're working towards that as we change the personnel, the head coach gets time to work with the players etc.

"I was on the record last season saying that it can be difficult to achieve that when you have those performance markers every Saturday and Tuesday, with next to no training time in between.

"Off the pitch we want to make a few more signings to address the areas where we feel we're in need of extra players. Stuart [Harvey] and the guys and as a team, we're working really hard to do that.

"We felt we were very-well prepared at the start of the window.

"We've been successful in acquiring some of the targets we set out to get, and we feel we've been really diligent in how we've gone about that in terms of the types of players and how they fit it into our playing style.”

And this is how Sunderland’s team could look at the end of the window if the talk to be believed – scroll down to have a look: