Comments from Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman may not fill Regis Le Bris with much confidence during this summer’s transfer window.
Sunderland ended a four-month search for a new head coach when they appointed Frenchman Regis Le Bris in June.
Since, the Black Cats have brought in experienced Championship midfielder Alan Browne on a free transfer, marking the start of what could still be a very positive summer at the Stadium of Light.
Arguably, whether or not Sunderland perform well in the 2024/25 Championship season depends on Kristjaan Speakman and what business he can do in this summer’s transfer window.
Once again, Sunderland are in need of a new striker and Speakman recently discussed the club’s plans to sign a new forward this summer.
He and Le Bris spoke at a Sunderland fans’ forum on Thursday in which Speakman outlined his plans for a new striker signing. But Speakman’s comments may not fill Le Bris with confidence.
Kristjaan Speakman comments on Sunderland striker search
Speakman spoke about Sunderland’s need for a new striker this summer. But Speakman himself didn’t sound overly-confident about the club’s chances of landing a prolific no.9.
Speakman said: “We’ve got to find the right centre forward who’s available and viable for us. We will try to make sure we get the right one.”
Speakman added: “Strikers are a difficult market. It’s hard to find goalscoring strikers. We want to be flexible and we’ve been successful playing without a striker, but that’s not the direction of travel.”
Last summer, Sunderland signed three new strikers in Nazariy Rusyn, Luis Hemir, and Mason Burstow. But the three managed just three gols between them in the Championship last time round (two for Rusyn, 1 for Burstow).
Regis Le Bris won’t take much confidence from recent Kristjaan Speakman comments at Sunderland
Le Bris will want to hear his club’s sporting director, and the man who’s largely in complete control of transfers, speak confidently about their chances of landing a new striker this summer.
Whilst it’s difficult for clubs to unearth a striker who’ll score 15 or 20 goals in a Championship campaign, Speakman must still put up a confident front on the matter, especially when speaking in public.
Speakman gave a similar tone when discussing the club’s search for a new manager earlier this year and that search proved to be a very testing one, with the jury largely out on Le Bris until the new season starts.
So for Le Bris, whether or not his Sunderland side can improve on last season’s 16th place finish may largely depend on what striker Speakman can bring in and what players the club decides to keep.
There’s a definite sense that this summer is one of Sunderland’s most important in a long time.