Jack Howe-Gingell says…
It’s got to be the ‘spine’ for me in general, with the goalkeeper, centre backs and central midfield as the initial focus.
We’ve done amazingly to get to the Premier League and this is no disrespect to those who got us there, as they’ll all play their part. That said, we need to have a strong core running through the squad and that starts with a good spine of the team.
It’s not surprising that we’ve been linked to improved players in all of the above positions — Marcin Bulka, Jordan Henderson and Axel Disasi, to name a few.
Make no mistake: this is a massive step up and we have no time for sentimentality. In most of the last few seasons, the promoted teams have been relegated the following season and we need to find a way to buck that trend.
Our lads are also young and need some extra talent alongside them in key areas so they don’t take the full brunt of Premier League expectation, and I think spinal improvement will allow them to flourish.
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John Wilson says…
I think each and every one of us is proud of what we’ve achieved since Kyril Louis-Dreyfus took over, but as I’ve said before, now is not the time for sentimentality.
The Premier League is another beast altogether and I’m well aware that the last FA Cup tie against Newcastle was an awful occasion all round, but I still have flashbacks of Anthony Gordon flashing past Trai Hume two or three times and leaving him for dead.
Make no mistake: Trai has improved since then but he was also one of our best players then and for me, it was painful evidence of the gulf we now have to cross. We’re all aware of that, and we’re also aware of the four or five plus first eleven players we need to bring in, as well as covering positions all over the squad.
If we could choose three main targets, who would I go for? I think the spine is the most obvious — a versatile central defender, a midfield ball-winner and a big, strong forward.
If I had to state something slightly different, I might be persuaded to say we need a central defender and maybe two midfield dynamos; after all, we’ve lost Jobe Bellingham, so we need his replacement and a new body in there.
I have a feeling that during more games than not this coming season, we’ll try and keep games tight and hit the opposition on the break.
If we’re going to continue to use strikers as an outlet, in that scenario maybe Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda are in less need of support compared to the midfield and defence?
That’s my response to a hypothetical question of ‘top three priorities’ but if we’re serious about taking this opportunity, I suggest the starting lineup against West Ham should have four or five new faces at least, and it may turn out that some of our Wembley bench never get to kick a ball for us in the Premier League.
Phil West says…
At the risk of winning the Michael Owen Award For Services To Stating The Obvious, the answer is “pretty much everywhere”.
As we all know and as Jack mentioned, the gulf between the Premier League and the Championship is of Grand Canyon proportions.
This isn’t just in terms of the skill level, game intelligence and tactical flexibility, but in also when it comes to sheer athleticism, power, speed and strength, and we have to work relentlessly to try and find a way to compete with that. It won’t happen automatically and we need to be laser-focused on adding players to the ranks who have both the on-field attributes and the character to fit into the Sunderland dressing room.
This is a good group of lads.
They’re wholehearted, committed to the red and white cause and made history at Wembley earlier in the year, but football moves quickly, leaving behind those who bask in the glory of playoff success for too long.
With that in mind, it’s not an overstatement to suggest we need to see some major transfer business completed over the next six weeks, as pushing it right to the end of the window will not work and could result in us falling behind early in the season.
Essentially, the addition of Enzo Le Fee was a game-changer and further additions of that calibre are what we need to be targeting, and it’s a comprehensive list.
We need goal threats from the wings and we need some muscle and ball-winning ability in midfield. We need some rapid and robust central defenders to shore up what we already have, and we need greater depth at full back — particularly to ease the potential workload on Trai Hume, who’s one of a handful of players I’m confident could make the step up to the top flight from the get go.
Additionally, we need another striker or two — again, ideally someone who’s pacy, can be relied upon to find the back of the net, and isn’t afraid of a physical duel — to back up Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda.
Elsewhere, I’ve already had my say on the goalkeeping situation but if Marcin Bulka is set to join, that would seem like a very encouraging start and would doubtless push Anthony Patterson very hard, assuming he stays.
Lots to do, both in terms of incomings and potential outgoings. Let’s hope things start to fall into place soon.
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