Sunderland's plan for January signings revealed by expert
Sunderland’s Europa League campaign is slowly building a “lifeboat” for them to spend on new signings in the January transfer window.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who does not believe that the Black Cats are panicking about their situation just yet.
Regis Le Bris’ side have taken seven points from their opening three Europa League games, but have won just one of their opening seven Premier League games and sit bottom of the table.
However, Wyness believes that the Wearsiders’ concerns will only begin to become serious once they have reached the 15-game mark of the league campaign.
That is set to roll around on 13 December, just a few weeks before the January transfer window is due to open.
Sunderland face crucial meetings against Leeds United and Coventry City in their next two league fixtures, and need to find a way to get more points on the board.
Sunderland prepared to splash the cash in January
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Sunderland clearly have enough resources to make significant alterations to their squad this winter.
The Scottish businessman believes that the club hierarchy will do everything in their power to avoid the team becoming embroiled in a genuine relegation battle.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained how that is likely to include spending their Europa League money early.
“I think they will panic around game 15 is when I think some of them are going to have to start assessing that. They had a great season last year, and they got Europe, and they earned enough money to build a lifeboat,” he said.
“I think it's time to launch the lifeboat fairly soon in January in terms of how they're going to strengthen the squad, and they've got to start planning now as to what they're going to do in January.
“They've had some unlucky injuries and that's what they've got to repair; they've got to put the plaster on the puncture, so to speak and stop the whole Sunderland pressure going down.
“The second season is always tough for clubs, but they've got a chance, they've got the resources, they've got the fan base, and I think that as long as they're honest about it they can reappraise it and they can salvage things.”
Sunderland ready to sacrifice Europa League
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Sunderland are ultimately prepared to sacrifice their Europa League campaign if it begins to put their Premier League survival in jeopardy.
The Black Cats are hoping to go as deep as possible in Europe, but know that staying in the top flight is far more important for them long-term.
Le Bris has tried to balance his squad across both competitions so far, but is prepared to start naming more inexperienced sides in Europe if needs be.
The Frenchman is hoping to pull his team away from the bottom three in the Premier League in recent weeks, with pressure starting to mount on him from above.