Where Sunderland stand one month from the Championship season and what still needs to happen

So here we are, somehow just one month away from the Championship campaign beginning.

The Black Cats still have a significant amount of work to do, but the mood on Wearside has over the last week shifted from concern to cautious optimism.

Mid-June was a strange period in which the glow of exorcising those Wembley demons was set against the return of familiar ownership uncertainty.

To that end, there will be no development this year more significant than Kyril Louis-Dreyfus increasing his shareholding to 51%, a move which also saw Charlie Methven depart the club entirely.

The ideal scenario? Not quite. Juan Sartori remains an enigmatic presence, while Stewart Donald's ongoing shareholding means the Madrox chapter is not fully closed.

But the shift is nevertheless significant for multiple reasons.

Louis-Dreyfus has finally drawn a welcome line under years of intermittent speculation about the club's boardroom direction, a starting point in rebuilding trust.

Methven's departure is a moment of relief for supporters, while Sartori's slightly odd role also makes more sense when he is there to support, rather than being put forward as a transformative presence.

The club's structure has been significantly streamlined, something that sources have indicated was needed for sometime.

Whether coincidental or not, Louis-Dreyfus' move has kickstarted a much-needed surge in on-pitch business.

By signing Lynden Gooch, Patrick Roberts and Bailey Wright to new deals, as well as agreeing a long-term contract with Anthony Patterson, Sunderland have just about kept together the group that ended the season so well under Alex Neil (Jack Clarke and Nathan Broadhead remain important absentees).

Neil's presence should not be overlooked, either.

While never suggesting he could leave directly, he repeatedly refused to be drawn on long-term intentions in the opening months of his Sunderland tenure and in his post-match press conference at Wembley made pointed references to just how big a

That he is in situ, leading Sunderland's preparations, is a promising reflection of the ambition behind the scenes.

So too is the move for Arsenal's Dan Ballard.

The Black Cats need to get the deal over the line, but it serves as an encouraging marker of the kind of business the club is lining up.

Sunderland fans knew that the club would stick to the model of gradual growth, with free agents and loans supplementing targeted investment on young players with resale value. A period of transition is expected and accepted, but the move for Ballard shows the club are very much in a position to compete with Championship rivals who have designs on a top-finish/play-off push.

It would be a start, though only that.

Sunderland still require high-quality additions in most positions, while there is also an eagerness to try and settle the speculation surrounding Ross Stewart's future with a new long-term deal.

Neil was eager to stress the amount of work to be done earlier this week, and to underline the scale of the challenge facing his team as they step up to the second tier.

But with almost 30,000 already signed up for the campaign, excitement is undoubtedly starting to gently build.