Post by Les on Jul 3, 2024 19:38:46 GMT
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Kristjaan Speakman issues Sunderland transfer update and explains quiet start
Sunderland’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has issued a transfer update ahead of a crucial summer window
Kristjaan Speakman says he believes Sunderland are in a 'really good place' to strengthen their squad and that there is likely to be more experienced players arriving over the course of the summer transfer window.
It has been a much quieter start to the window for the Black Cats this year than last, with the arrival of Simon Moore following his release from Coventry City the only incoming deal concluded. While that is in part guided by the fact that RĂ©gis Le Bris is currently assessing his squad in the early stages of pre-season, the club sporting director says it is also in part because they are expecting to make fewer additions to the squad on the whole. He insists that they are active in looking to strengthen
At his first press conference on Wednesday, Le Bris said that he was having daily meetings with Speakman and the club's recruitment team to plot the way forward. Speakman hinted that the club were in talks with targets but were waiting on decisions.
"I think the objective is slightly different this summer," Speakman said.
"I think the number of players that we were probably identifying to recruit across starting XI and the wider squad was a lot larger last year, and therefore we were really, really proactive with a couple of those signings early on in the window. We've been just as proactive and just as planned behind the scenes in terms of who we'd like to target and who we've identified this time around, and then you've got that constant balance, the rhythm between us making sure that we're comfortable with the selections, and those selections we think are the best selections we can get, and naturally on the other side, you've got the player who's looking at maybe one or two options, and he's trying to make sure that he's picking the best option for him. So, we think we're in a really good place at the present time.
"Naturally, you want the coach's input on how he thinks the current group is doing, the players within those positions or those units, and as we've always had here, an input on the profiles that we've got lined up and which are the best profiles to go for, and like I said, that's something that we're spending every day reading at the minute.
"It's a fluid period of time, isn't it, through to the end of the transfer window, and what you sometimes predict or you plan, it never actually comes to fruition, and you have to keep being very adaptable in that period of time. We've identified several spots that we think we'd like to improve, and I've always said it's around quality, and I think quality is the most important thing, but it's also around the balance and the ecosystem of the squad and the environment."
Speakman also confirmed that the club were looking to add some players with significant Championship experience to their squad this summer, comments that had earlier been echoed by Le Bris in his first press conference.
"We have lost a Dack, we have lost an Evans over the summer, we've always had those types of profiles in the squad so if we can find positive profiles in the squad like those, then we'll always try to recruit," Speakman said.
"I always find that question [about experience] really difficult because I think throughout our time here, we've signed players of a variety of ages, and players have had different impacts on the team and different impacts on performances. Last season, we might have signed another older player, but at the time, that deal didn't come off, and the next best option for us was a different player at a different age, so it's not something that we're putting a quota on, we're just interested in getting the right profiles in the right positions, but most of all, it has to be the right quality."
Kristjaan Speakman issues Sunderland transfer update and explains quiet start
Sunderland’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has issued a transfer update ahead of a crucial summer window
Kristjaan Speakman says he believes Sunderland are in a 'really good place' to strengthen their squad and that there is likely to be more experienced players arriving over the course of the summer transfer window.
It has been a much quieter start to the window for the Black Cats this year than last, with the arrival of Simon Moore following his release from Coventry City the only incoming deal concluded. While that is in part guided by the fact that RĂ©gis Le Bris is currently assessing his squad in the early stages of pre-season, the club sporting director says it is also in part because they are expecting to make fewer additions to the squad on the whole. He insists that they are active in looking to strengthen
At his first press conference on Wednesday, Le Bris said that he was having daily meetings with Speakman and the club's recruitment team to plot the way forward. Speakman hinted that the club were in talks with targets but were waiting on decisions.
"I think the objective is slightly different this summer," Speakman said.
"I think the number of players that we were probably identifying to recruit across starting XI and the wider squad was a lot larger last year, and therefore we were really, really proactive with a couple of those signings early on in the window. We've been just as proactive and just as planned behind the scenes in terms of who we'd like to target and who we've identified this time around, and then you've got that constant balance, the rhythm between us making sure that we're comfortable with the selections, and those selections we think are the best selections we can get, and naturally on the other side, you've got the player who's looking at maybe one or two options, and he's trying to make sure that he's picking the best option for him. So, we think we're in a really good place at the present time.
"Naturally, you want the coach's input on how he thinks the current group is doing, the players within those positions or those units, and as we've always had here, an input on the profiles that we've got lined up and which are the best profiles to go for, and like I said, that's something that we're spending every day reading at the minute.
"It's a fluid period of time, isn't it, through to the end of the transfer window, and what you sometimes predict or you plan, it never actually comes to fruition, and you have to keep being very adaptable in that period of time. We've identified several spots that we think we'd like to improve, and I've always said it's around quality, and I think quality is the most important thing, but it's also around the balance and the ecosystem of the squad and the environment."
Speakman also confirmed that the club were looking to add some players with significant Championship experience to their squad this summer, comments that had earlier been echoed by Le Bris in his first press conference.
"We have lost a Dack, we have lost an Evans over the summer, we've always had those types of profiles in the squad so if we can find positive profiles in the squad like those, then we'll always try to recruit," Speakman said.
"I always find that question [about experience] really difficult because I think throughout our time here, we've signed players of a variety of ages, and players have had different impacts on the team and different impacts on performances. Last season, we might have signed another older player, but at the time, that deal didn't come off, and the next best option for us was a different player at a different age, so it's not something that we're putting a quota on, we're just interested in getting the right profiles in the right positions, but most of all, it has to be the right quality."