Lee Johnson has spoken about the long-term plan for the club, and the importance of youngsters such as Embleton and Neil signing new contracts...
SUCCESSION PLAN
“It’s about having a succession plan. We have clarity about that – starting at the top and working its way down the chain."
PROJECT
“I’m in constant communication with Kristjaan and Kyril. We speak on a regular basis about all of the players. We haven’t quite nailed it yet because I’ve always said this is a three to five-year project. You’ll really know you’ve cracked it when you’re doing your summer business in January and your January business three or four weeks before the start of the window."
BALANCE
“But we’re getting there, and there is a very clearly-defined plan in place. There is a succession plan on the back of that, and we’re making sure that the squad has a nice balance of youth, experience, assets, players that can produce in their prime now and emerging players that are just moving into their prime. If you’ve got that, you can guarantee a competitive future.”
NEIL
“He’s technically a very good player,” said the Black Cats boss. “You see the way he manipulates the ball, and I think he’s added another dimension to his game, to be able to drop and drive, and receive the ball and commit players."
A YOUNG GAZZA!
“He’s got that lovely dribbling technique – a little bit like a young Paul Gascoigne almost in the way he pops and drags it at the same time. As a defender, it’s very difficult to commit because the minute you do, he’s got the ability to skip by you."
QPR
“I do expect to see a couple of slalom-type goals from him this season. At QPR on Wednesday, it was a lovely little gliding run, and then he just didn’t quite get the finish off. We’re very pleased and he’s very pleased. The hard work starts now, but we look forward to moving on with him in our future.”
