EXITS ARE EXPECTED

Regis Le Bris expects some fringe players to leave, either on loan or permanently, before the end of the transfer window in search for regular minutes. Sunderland's active transfer market means the current squad needs trimming and unfortunately the likes of Alan Browne, Leo Hjelde and Nectarios Triantis (among others) aren't going to feature prominently during this campaign.

EXTRA ADDITIONS

"We still want to reinforce the squad if it makes sense for the balance. I still think it’s possible in the back-line if we find the right player with the right level with the right mindset to reinforce the squad. We still have one option maybe but if it’s not the case, we will stay like that.”

BROWNE FUTURE

"We had this conversation with Alan, about game time and what he needs for the best future for him. It's an open conversation and we will see next week."

HJELDE

"Leo made a really strong decision last year to help the team. Even if he wasn't involved in many games during the training sessions, at the end of the game he helped the squad. We can decide together whether he can find a solution to have more game time. If it's possible for him it could be useful for his career and maybe for us later. We'll decide next week."

MORE OPTIONS BECOME AVAILABLE

"The flow of the transfer window is always a bit weird. Sometimes it's really slow and then next week, lots of things will happen. So probably there will be lots of different options for the players. They want to leave so that they can have game time this season, so we will see. I'm confident yes, I hope we can [find a solution]."

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE LAST WEEK

"Stressful or relaxed I don't know, maybe in the middle. The last week can always be a bit crazy and chaotic but at the minute we are well organised and working together, so if someone can lose their mind the other one can catch them. We don't have much recruitment to do right now, so if it's possible to sign one or two more players maximum, we will; if it's not possible, we'll stay like that."