Sunderland have taken some very positive steps recently after a difficult two months since the season ended.
After a four-month search, the Black Cats finally appointed Regis Le Bris as their new head coach.
Having met the players upon their return to the Academy of Light over the weekend, the Frenchman has reportedly convinced Chris Rigg to put pen to paper on his first professional contract.
Accompanied by last week’s kit launch, it has been a very positive start to life under Le Bris.
With Rigg set to stay and the club confirming they had opted against Callum Styles signing permanently, it is clear there is definitely some movement on the transfer front on Wearside.
However, Sunderland have still only brought in Simon Moore on a free transfer, but he is unlikely to see much regular football.
Sunderland could be waiting a while for a new signing
The club need to be pretty active in the summer window if they are to avoid another disastrous campaign, but there has been no indication to suggest their business is going to kickstart anytime soon.
Journalist Alan Nixon has now given fans an update on how long they could be waiting.
He wrote on X: “Any clubs chasing loans just now may have to wait … a few free agents this week coming on the market … it should pick up.”
Having thrived off the loan market for a number years and bringing in the likes of Amad Diallo, Ellis Simms and Nathan Broadhead, it will come as no surprise if Kristjaan Speakman opts to go down a similar route this summer.
The Black Cats should make use of the Premier League loans
While Sunderland will earn a lot of money if the likes of Jack Clarke leave the club, there are still plenty of huge talents to snap up on a temporary basis.
The Black Cats don’t want to be waiting around for too many signings though, as they could end up panicking at the end of the summer with very little business done.
Free agents will surely be an option too, with target Divin Mubama having just been released by West Ham over the weekend.
Sunderland need to be very smart with their business and Speakman needs to be careful not to be too stubborn in the way he goes about it, because that is what has got him into trouble so far.