Sunderland’s new sporting structure was discussed at our recent live event
Sunderland's imminent appointment of former AS Roma, OGC Nice and RC Lens sporting director and Florent Ghisolfi was discussed at length in the first ever live episode of On The Whistle.
Our Q&A with Echo readers was held in front of a live audience at The Bridge Hotel Vaults last Thursday, and Ghisolfi's arrival was a key talking point for Phil and BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland AFC commentator Nick Barnes.
Phil said the move was a statement of intent from the club, but would be a major change to the structure and carried some risk as a result.
"I think it's a matter of when, not if [this happens]," he told the audience.
"Obviously when you bring someone in from abroad there's a lot of admin to go through but I would think it will be confirmed sooner rather than later. I think this is a real sign from the club that they're not hear to make up the numbers, because the contacts book that he will bring, the knowledge of the European markets he will bring... the fact that he has had other opportunities having left Roma but has chosen to come to Sunderland... it shows that there is a budget and an intent there for next season which is really exciting. We're already seeing that in the names being talked about. I think it's a sign that Sunderland are serious about making an impact next season but of course, if you have a structure that's working well and you add a new figure into that, there's obviously an element of risk there isn't there because you just don't know exactly how it's going to play out."
Barnes was encouraged by the fact that Ghisolfi is well known to head coach Régis Le Bris and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, but added that he would be interesting to see how the responsibilities would be shared between him and current sporting director Kristjaan Speakman who is set to remain in post.
"His [Ghisolfi] relationship with Régis Le Bris goes back a long way, they know each other very well. It's an interesting dynamic and you see a picture developing at the club with Kyril, Régis, the new director of football. It's almost a family feel with Kyril leaning towards people he knows well and respects, keeping it very in-house if you like. I'm in no way criticising that, because up until now it has worked very well. It'll be interesting to see how that relationship with Kristjaan develops, where are they drawing the line about who does what in that relationship? Until now, Kristjaan has been very, very hands-on with recruitment. Now there is another person in the mix. It's going to be very interesting but I think with the way the Premier League has changed, it's needed. The whole structure of the club needs to go up another level."
Phil added that there were precedents at Premier League level for the move.
"To a degree I think is something that had to happen to an extent, because it's not all that long since Sunderland were a League One club," he said.
"At that point, the club was a bit of a shell because of how long it had been at that level. If you think about the amount of work Kristjaan Speakman has to do, well beyond just recruitment which we inevitably focus on, but also contracts, medical, the academy... I'm not sure if that's something he can realistically do on his own at this point. It's not unprecedented in that Brentford have operated with two sporting directors at times and Chelsea have two now, the unusual thing about this is bringing one in after one has been in charge for a relatively long period."
You can watch extended highlights of the event in the video at the top of this article, or over on our YouTube page.
Sunderland transfer latest explained
Sunderland are closing in on the signing of Atlético Madrid full back Reinildo Mandava after his departure from the Spanish club was announced on Monday.
Reinildo featured at the Club World Cup earlier this year but fell down the pecking order in Madrid and will now bring valuable top-tier experience to a young Sunderland squad being rebuilt for Premier League football. The club are also close to confirming a club-record deal for RC Strasbourg Habib Diarra, with the midfielder close to a move in a deal that could eventually rise to around £30 million. Sunderland may be facing some frustration in their pursuit of OGC Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, with Saudi Arabian club Neom making a big late push to sign the 25-year-old.
The imminent arrivals of Reinildo and Diarra nevertheless signal the club’s ambition in the transfer market this summer as they prepare for a return to the Premier League, with the arrival of new director of football Florent Ghisolfi expected at some stage.
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