Tony Mowbray explains why Sunderland are expecting a quiet transfer window

Are transfer 'blitzes' now a thing of the past at Sunderland?

Tony Mowbray says Sunderland have ‘talked about’ January recruits, but he says he is not expecting a busy transfer window.

Sunderland are going along nicely in the Championship and the squad looks like it’s in a very healthy state right now.

"We're trying to make sure that we see, not just the next window, but the next few windows," Mowbray told reporters in his pre-WBA press conference.

"It's about where people's contract situations are, whether they are going to get resolved, whether we are going to offer some people contracts, whether we are not, whether they are going to run out so we need to fill this position or that position. We've talked about some names and some players but you never know until you make the calls, really.

"Somebody you think might be £300,000 turns out to be £3m. Until you make the calls, until you decide what route you are going to go down, what position you genuinely think you want to strengthen.

One thing that do seem a thing of the past, though, is the transfer window ‘blitzes’ that Sunderland have needed before.

Mowbray spoke about the strength he has in defence whilst discussing Jordan Willis recently, and Sunderland’s early-season injury crisis has significantly eased following the World Cup break.

It all amounts to what is likely to be a much quieter January on Wearside.

"The squad is actually beefing up a little bit at the moment with the injuries coming back, so I don't see January as being one of those where we are going to go out and blitz it and bring another four or five players because it would give us more problems by doing that,” he said. “I don't want to give too much information on what road we are going down.

"I think competition is going to be pretty tough to get into the starting line-up, so I'd rather the players we have got focus on trying to help the team win some football matches than worry about why we're looking to bring in another centre-forward or centre-half or central midfield player or full-back."

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