Where Jewison Bennette fits in at Sunderland AFC and what happens next in the transfer window

The currently preferred means the excellent Patrick Roberts cannot get in the team, and behind him there are the developing talents of Leon Dajaku and Jack Diamond.

One of the benefits of a touch more stability off the pitch and a much clearer model of operating, though, is that it doesn't always have to be about the right here, right now.

Sunderland have the means to and increasingly the intel to take more calculated gambles and it goes the other way, too. If a bid for a longer-term target doesn't quite come off, it's not necessarily about going out and spending the same money on another player. It's about finding a balance between having a squad capable of competing at the weekend, and continuously adding assets whose value can be grown.

Which isn't to say that Jewison Bennette won't make an impact in the near future, because he may well do.

The 18-year-old was the youngster ever player to make his Costa Rican debut last year, and that he could well feature in the World Cup later this year is a marker of not just of his future promise but his current ability.

While primarily a wide player, he is also comfortable playing in central areas if required. The youngster can take players on and perhaps most importantly, is said to have a blistering turn of pace.

Unsurprisingly, though, Alex Neil was keen to urge caution.

Neil hailed a 'very exciting' talent in Bennette but added that there would be a period of adjustment as he gets used to both a new country and a new language.

Tellingly, he added: "He is certainly one for the future." Sunderland will keep searching for this opportunities and strike if the player is available, as may well be the case with Edouard Michut, a huge talent in a position where Sunderland do have options.

The focus otherwise is on getting the balance in the squad at large right, and key to that is ensuring Neil has more senior cover in some crucial, specialised positions.

The head coach has said he 'definitely' still wants another striker after missing out on Nathan Broadhead, while another defender was required even before Dan Ballard suffered a serious injury. The Black Cats lead the race for Jan Paul van Hecke, but with just a year left on his Brighton contract a loan has not been fully sanctioned and there is competition elsewhere.

There is also a strong argument that Sunderland need cover for Corry Evans given his importance.

Neil knows Sunderland's promotion push was one or more injuries away from being put in serious peril after the last transfer window and is determined to ensure that risk is not taken again.

What Bennette's arrival above all else underlines the extent to which this club has been transformed behind the scenes over the last 18 months.

Remember that Jack Ross famously operated in the early stages of his tenure with no scouting network at all. Now, there is a growing operation at the Academy of Light under Stuart Harvey, with particular investment in data-led analysis. Sunderland have moved into a very different era, particularly in recruitment.