Regis Le Bris must plan for his first Sunderland season with all his prized assets at his disposal.
However, that isn’t necessarily how it will pan out, with a number of Sunderland stars being linked with a move to the Premier League.
The Black Cats were handed a huge boost last week as Chris Rigg signed a new contract, but there still remains a list of players who could potentially leave.
While Sunderland are eager to tie down Dan Ballard and Dan Neil down to new deals, Jack Clarke is one man who looks unlikely to commit his future.
The winger has been in high-demand since picking up 21 goal contributions in the club’s first season back in the Championship.
With half of the top flight interested, it is looking increasingly likely that he will leave if a club can match his £18 million valuation.
Jack Clarke is ‘very important’ to Le Bris
However, Le Bris has admitted it is ‘very important’ that Sunderland keep Clarke.
Speaking to the media (as per the Sunderland Echo), the Frenchman said: ““It’s difficult to have guarantees because the market can be crazy sometimes but I feel the ambition.
“Obviously, the market and transfer window will not be as we’d expect it just now but we will adapt with the circumstances and at the end I think we’ll have a balanced team with players who are able to play our style of play and to perform on the pitch.”
When asked about Clarke, Le Bris responded: ““We like good players – the players who are able to dribble, attack the box, score and give the last key passes.
“They are very important for the team. He is an important player – other players are very important for the team also. If we are able to keep the core of this team, I think it will be very helpful to enable us to perform quickly, with one, two or three players more. He is very important, as are all the players.”
The Sunderland attacker is irreplaceable
Clarke’s importance to the team was made so glaringly obvious last season, with the winger scoring 29% of their goals in the Championship, while the team picked up four points in the seven games he was sidelined for.
The amount of cash Sunderland could make from his exit is of course tempting, but to think the board can replace him and his goals is crazy.
Clarke would be a major loss and feels pretty much irreplaceable given Sunderland’s position. It would have arguably been much easier if they had challenged for promotion last term.
If no club can meet his price tag then that could be a massive boost for the Black Cats, who will have a much better chance of reaching the play-offs again if he is in the frontline.