The first ever live episode of the On The Whistle Sunderland Q&A was held last week
Sunderland are set to tweak their transfer model as they prepare for the rigours of Premier League football this summer.
That was the view of Phil and BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland AFC commentator Nick Barnes at last week's 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 the club's transfer plans were a big talking point. The pair were asked if they expected Sunderland to change their transfer model of recruiting very young and inexperienced players, having won promotion with one of the youngest squads in the EFL last season. Both agreed that the strategy would remain broadly the same, but the need for some top-level experience would mean a tweak required.
"I think we'll definitely see a change," he said.
"I don't think the policy will be fundamentally different, I think they're going to see this as an opportunity just to sign more exciting young players. But I think you definitely get the sense that they want to sign four or five players who can impact the team immediately, and I think that's reflected in the fact that a lot of the players you're seeing being discussed are a little bit older and cost a lot more money, because they have a little bit more experience at the top level. And I don't think it's necessarily about Premier League football necessarily, but more about the experience of the speed and intensity of top-level football whether that's here or abroad."
Barnes said a little more experience would be vital given the calibre of teams the club would be facing next season.
"I think it's inevitable," he said.
"I don't see how you can compete in the Premier League without that level of experience and that has to mean you're looking at players who are 25, 26, 27. The Premier League now is terrifyingly good, even the teams who 'struggled' last season can play brilliant football. It is completely another level and to maintain that over a season, week in, week out... we know that Sunderland have got to get the recruitment right and to be fair, I think they do know exactly what they are walking into. I think the club have to see this as an exciting opportunity and if they get their recruitment right, I do feel optimistic that they can buck the trend [of recently promoted teams being relegated]. It won't be easy and there'll be games we come away from where we think, 'that was a lesson'. The landscape has changed now because you've put yourself in a different echelon through that Premier League money."
Phil Smith: Why it’s an exciting time to be following Sunderland
Phil added that while he expected Sunderland to be very ambitious in the transfer market this summer, it's vital that the club don't take risks that could damage them in the years to come.
"I honestly think people can feel optimistic, not just about next season but about the next four or five years," he said.
"I think there's an understanding that you can't do things exactly as you have for the last three or four years. The analogy that's been used to explain it to me is if you go up from League One to the Championship, you go up one division. From the Championship to the Premier League, you go up one level on paper but two or three in reality. And so I think there's definitely an acceptance that you have to shop in a different market as a result, so I do think there'll be a bit of a difference. The big thing, though, is seeing this as an opportunity of changing the club's future for the next ten years. If you get this right, even if you have a relegation somewhere along the way, you can come back stronger for it if you manage it right. As Bournemouth and Fulham have done, for example. Hopefully it won't come to that for Sunderland but if you manage this right, don't saddle yourself with bad contracts, you can change the next decade. It's going to be tough next season but it's an exciting time, I think."
You can watch extended highlights of the event in the video at the top of this article, or over on our YouTube page.
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