REGIS LE BRIS is expecting Sunderland to add some Championship experience to their squad this summer after holding a series of productive recruitment meetings with Kristjaan Speakman and the rest of the club hierarchy.

Le Bris started work as head coach this week, and while the majority of his attention has been focused on getting to know his players on the training ground, he has also been heavily involved in discussions over potential incomings and outgoings.

For the majority of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ time as owner, Sunderland’s recruitment policy has prioritised the purchase of young, inexperienced players, often from abroad, who can be developed and improved within the first-team group.

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The policy has had mixed success, but Le Bris’ three predecessors as permanent head coach have all cited a lack of Championship experience as a handicap holding the squad back. Le Bris has been making his own assessment of the group he has inherited, and while he insists the average age of the squad is not a concern, he accepts some additional Championship knowhow could be beneficial.

“Of course, the team is young,” said Sunderland’s new boss. “But if you look at the last two seasons, the young players – 18, 19, 20, 21 – they will have gained some experience.

“That is useful for the future. But then also, we are thinking about one or two more experienced players, who know the Championship very well, for example, and have high standards when it comes to training. They can help dictate the way of playing, and lead the team during the game.

“These kind of players could be young or could be older. We have all of these ideas in our brain, then we have the issues of the market, which is never simple. But with work, and the quality of the organisation, I am sure we will have a good team by the end (of the window).”

While Speakman retains overall control of Sunderland’ recruitment operation, Le Bris will have a significant input into the decisions that are made this summer.

The Frenchman is used to working within a continental model, whereby the head coach is not in complete control of recruitment, and insists he is happy with the way Sunderland intend to operate.

“I am comfortable with the process,” he said. “We don’t know the result because this part of our work (recruitment) is very complex. But I am comfortable with the process.

“We have been having meetings every day about the team. Everybody here at the club wants to understand my game model, and the way I can assess the players. Then, on the other side, they know all of the players very well and they have been bringing me some information.

“We are working together on that, then we will train, and that will be a very important step. Some players could have some answers to the training methods, others might not answer in the same way. We need to experience all of that together – maybe two or three weeks to see how it will evolve.”

While Le Bris has been watching clips of all of Sunderland’s matches from last season, he admits he is still getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of the players within the current squad.

The former Lorient boss understands the interest in potential signings, but insists the initial answer to solving next season’s puzzles must come from within the current squad.

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“I need to be clear about the different kind of players we have, and in which position they could be better,” he said. “With some of them, that is not clear at the moment.

“Some of the midfielders, for example, could be a six, an eight or a ten. It is only in the games and the training that I will see that and understand how they can play.

“I think everybody knows that, in attack, maybe we have lacked a bit, but it is the training and games that will show us what we need. We need to use our strength before the recruitment. That is the way of thinking for development. People always think that the solution is outside, but the first step is inside. Let’s see what we have inside and then after, we will see what is needed for the team.”