Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has insisted that the club will improve in one aspect in the future.
Sunderland have began their pre-season preparations ahead of the 2024/25 season, under new head coach Regis Le Bris.
The Frenchman arrives following a four-month search process for the next Sunderland manager, following the sacking of Michael Beale in February.
48-year-old Le Bris arrives with some mixed reviews from Sunderland fans following a two-year stint with Lorient which ended in relegation from Ligue 1 last time round.
Kristjaan Speakman will be hoping that the appointment pays off following an arduous search process for a new head coach, which saw the likes of Will Still and Liam Rosenior back out of moves to the Stadium of Light.
It was a frustrating period for Sunderland fans and now the Sunderland owners and Speakman have a lot of amends to make.
Kristjaan Speakman vows improvements to communication at Sunderland
Speakman recently gave a brief interview to the club, discussing mainly the appointment of Le Bris and what he’ll bring to the club.
Speakman also spoke of the search process for the new head coach, highlighting his disappointment in the lack of communication with the Sunderland fans throughout.
Sunderland co-owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus released a statement on June 7th saying that a head coach appointment was imminent, although the club didn’t officially announce the appointment of Le Bris until June 22nd.
Speakman told the club: “Acquiring a head coach is always a complex process. But I think it would be remiss to not mention the fact that our comms wasn’t great over the summer.
“That wasn’t intentional. The plan was to go out early with information. That became a little bit difficult with how that process went.
“Even when Kyril made his statement in early June, it was several weeks later that we were actually able to conclude the deal and announce Regis as the head coach.
“So we’ll certainly try to improve that element and we really, really respect the patience.”
What Kristjaan Speakman needs to do next at Sunderland
Mistakes were certainly made in the search for Le Bris and not communicating properly with Sunderland fans was one of them.
The Black Cats hierarchy created a divide between themselves and supporters, though the tension has been eased somewhat following the release of a hugely popular 2024/25 home shirt.
For Speakman, the next task is arguably the biggest; providing Le Bris with talented players in the transfer market.
Sunderland look set to sell one or two of their key players this summer, and for big money too.
Speakman must replace that outgoing quality and ensure that Le Bris has enough within the first-team squad to challenge for the top six next season.
Failing that, there’ll be increased pressure on Speakman, who’s been quite a divisive figure for several months now.
But if Speakman can deliver results in the transfer market mainly by signing a prolific no.9, then it’ll ease a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
