The European Championship is up and running and a welcome distraction for some Sunderland supporters, looking to get their summer fix of football. On Wearside, the search for a new head coach continues.
While the Black Cats are 120 days into their search for Michael Beale's successor and the main focus has been on the search for a new head coach, there's plenty of other talking points to address.
The Sunderland squad returns for pre-season at the end of the month and their first game of pre-season is an in house friendly on Saturday, July 6.
READ MORE: Sunderland are at risk of sleepwalk into next season
Here, Matty Hewitt answers some of the questions that We Are Sunderland readers submitted on the main talking points of the summer so far.
Why has the club gone silent all of a sudden, and do you think Kyril Louis-Dreyfus really has the funds to take club forward?
There's an interesting conversation to be had here and much of that stems back to Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' takeover of the club. Despite being a billionaire trust fund owner, we know very little about the spending power of the Black Cats owner.
Louis-Dreyfus has rarely put himself up to speak to the press, and the silence over the search for a head coach has only added to the mystery surrounding the Black Cats' owner. There was a statement, now ten days old, which was needed, but is also coming under further scrutiny after the use of the word 'imminent.'
That being said, the young owner has had to invest a lot of money into the infrastructure of the club, effectively building Sunderland up from the ground after the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been improvements at the Academy of Light, investment into staff behind the scenes and this summer, we'll seen a much needed investment into the Stadium of Light, with safe standing set to be installed in the South Stand, among other improvements.
Of course, that isn't going to appease everyone, with the majority, if not every supporter wanting success on the pitch.
The main focal point of this question probably surrounds the playing squad. From the outset, Louis-Dreyfus outlined his plan to build Sunderland sustainably, investing in young talents, developing them, selling them for profit and reinvesting into the squad.
The problem with that, as we saw last season, is when you get the balance of the playing squad wrong. There was a clear need for experienced heads in Sunderland's squad last season, and yet that costs money.
READ MORE: Sunderland are holding the coats and bags while others have fun
The pursuit of Kieffer Moore in January is perhaps the most telling. The Black Cats were unable to compete with the finances that Ipswich Town were offering, and Moore would play a key role in the Tractorboys' promotion to the Premier League. How could a newly promoted side from League One, have more financial pulling power?
From a personal perspective, I still think we're too early into Louis-Dreyfus' five year plan to make a blanket judgement call. As we've said on We Are Sunderland, this summer is huge for the club and how they're viewed by supporters.
A big sale - like Jack Clarke for example - and how the club handles that, the players they bring in to replace him, how that money is spent, will be a huge indicator as to whether or not the promise to lead Sunderland back to the Premier League is a viable one.
Has Kyril Louis-Dreyfus shown his true colours and is just a money making scheme with young players and no end result to the club?
It's perhaps a bit of a harsh assessment to assume running a football club is a money making scheme, but an understandable one after the way last season ended. Very few owners are able to make a profit in the running of a club. To suggest there has been no end result, yet, is a bit too early from my point of view. After all, Sunderland won promotion back to the Championship two years ago and reached the play-offs prior to last season.
As Mike Dodds said towards the end of last season, the appointment of a head coach and the first few signings this summer will be a good indicator of the direction the club is going in. It certainly needs a few things cleared up this summer, especially given how poorly last season finished.
READ MORE: Sunderland summer transfer priorities and Clarke, Rigg & Neil future
Why are the club so rigid in the conditions of employment for any new head coach? Namely not allowing them their own backroom?
Again, a valid question to raise and one we discussed on one of our We Are Sunderland Morning Briefing's a few weeks back. The changing of the guard, or backroom staff in this instance, seems part and parcel of the modern game. Head coaches have their staff who they work well with, share similar ideas and are part a wider philosophy.
Claims from Will Still's camp, that the Belgian was unhappy with the make-up of his coaching staff, have been refuted by the club, while Paul Heckingbottom is also said to have been put off earlier in the head coach search. Where the truth lies, is probably somewhere in between.
Just like the recruitment processes at the club, there should be some room to manoeuvre when it comes to coaching staff. From the outside looking in, it does appear very rigid and until an appointment is made, those views won't be changing. As to why that is, remains anyone's guess.
Recommended reading:
Should the club be worried about Chris Rigg and Dan Neil not renewing their contracts?
Supporters are right to be concerned about the knock on effect of their head coach search. However, it's also perfectly normal for players to want to wait to see which direction the club is heading in before committing their future. Sunderland remain hopeful both players will sign new deals, with Chris Rigg's situation more pressing than Neil.
The Black Cats youngster can now sign professional terms with the club having turned 17 today, but interest in him is high. Manchester United and Newcastle United are among the interested parties, with the Red Devils looking to make Rigg a statement signing as they revamp their youth set-up this summer. Sunderland remain hopeful Rigg's first-team involvement and exposure in the first-team will be enough to tie him down to a new deal.
Read the rules here