What should Sunderland's transfer policy be this summer?

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Phil Smith and Jason Jones dissect what Sunderland should do in this summer's transfer window and the types of players that should be added to Regis Le Bris' squad on the latest episode of the Roar Podcast.

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00:00I think those sort of signings for Sunderland wouldn't necessarily go amiss.

00:04I think that bringing in a few players who know the league, who are sort of well-versed in the division

00:10and who are able to just offer something a little bit different, not just on the pitch,

00:14but certainly in terms of the dressing room as well, I think that's vital.

00:17You know, Sunderland are sort of, they're almost quite uniquely placed in the sense

00:21that there aren't many clubs who've come up in recent seasons who are so lacking in Premier League experience.

00:27I mean, off the top of my head, and I could be completely wrong here,

00:31but I'm struggling to think of it.

00:32Obviously, Chris Meppman's gone now and he's gone back to Bournemouth,

00:35so you take him out and you're like, well, how many of these players have actually played in the top line?

00:40Not many, if any.

00:41You know, and so I think for that reason, Sunderland will surely have to go to bring in

00:46at least a couple of players who've played in the division before, surely.

00:51It's interesting though, isn't it?

00:52Because like, also, you know, you're kind of watching the Premier League rumour mill pick up pace

00:59and stuff, and although I do think Sunderland will have a bit of Premier League experience,

01:02you have a right smile when you read links with players in their mid-20s knocking on 30

01:07and Sunderland getting linked with paying X million and this in wages,

01:11and you think, yeah, you really need to read up on how Sunderland have changed

01:15in the last eight years since they're at this level, because that just ain't happening.

01:19I think it's a really interesting debate for me, because at every point of this kind of project

01:25and step, we've kind of gone, yeah, but you can't do it again.

01:29You can't just keep doing this.

01:31And I kind of find myself saying that a little bit again now going into the Premier League,

01:35just because I think the scale of the jump from the Championship to the Premier League

01:38is so massive.

01:39But it's interesting that my personal feeling, I don't know what you think,

01:42is I'm less interested in Premier League experience.

01:45I'm more interested in top-tier experience.

01:48I'm not necessarily obsessed with the idea that you need players who've played

01:51at the Premier League before, but what I'm hoping to see from the bulk of someone's recruits

01:56is a little bit of a track record of doing it at the top level,

01:59if that's in a European league, you know, if it's in someone who's played quite a bit

02:03in the French top division or anything like that.

02:05But I think, for me, it's more about players who have experience

02:09in the sort of tactical and the intensity of the top level, if that makes sense.

02:15And that's why I do think there's going to have to be a bit of a shift this summer.

02:19I don't think you can throw in too many players who've never played

02:22senior football before at Premier League.

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