Former Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has admitted that he believes that the club should be focusing on staying up next season in the Championship rather than immediately targeting promotion to the Premier League.
The Black Cats managed to secure a place in the second-tier by defeating Wycombe Wanderers in the League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
With the 2022/23 campaign set to get underway in July, Sunderland will be determined to make a positive start to the term under the guidance of Alex Neil.
Neil will be able to turn to Patrick Roberts, Lynden Gooch and Bailey Wright for inspiration next season after this trio opted to sign new deals at the Stadium of Light this month.
Anthony Patterson has also committed his long-term future to Sunderland by agreeing fresh terms with the club.
Although Neil has yet to add any fresh faces to the club's senior squad this summer, Sunderland are closing in on a sealing a deal for Arsenal defender Daniel Ballard.
Making reference to the Black Cats, Poyet has offered an honest assessment on what he believes the club should be targeting next season.
Speaking to the Lord Ping website, Poyet said: "I'm delighted that Sunderland are back in the Championship, but they need to make sure that they don't go crazy by expecting to reach the Premier League.
Alex Neil was outstanding and done so well.
"There's a big gap between League One and the Championship and so they need to make sure that they know their objectives.
"Sunderland need to be realistic and just focus on staying up, then they can re-evaluate and aim for certain things.
"Sunderland can't afford to be unrealistic because there are so many strong teams in the Championship."
The Verdict
Poyet's comments are understandable as Sunderland will need to be realistic when it comes to what they want to achieve next season.
Whereas the club's long-term goal is to get back into the Premier League, they should be aiming to consolidate a place in the Championship before launching a push for promotion.
The scale of Sunderland's success later this year may depend on whether they can nail their transfer recruitment this summer.
The Black Cats will also be hoping to keep Ross Stewart at the club as he has been linked with a host of teams this summer after scoring 26 goals in the third-tier last season.