Sunderland's Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman has told the Sunderland Echo that the club's contract talks with players will be based around the transfer business that they conduct this month. 

The likes of Lynden Gooch, Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan are all set to see their current contracts with the Black Cats expire next summer, meaning that there is a slight urgency to tie down the trio of key players to new deals.

Wright in particular has been strongly linked with a move away from the Stadium of Light on more than one occasion, whilst the likes of Gooch and Flanagan are also sure to be players that are of interest to teams higher up the pyramid.

However Speakman has now claimed that the club won't be rushed into anything, as he outlined their stance:

"What we've got to try do is make the right decision based on the direction the club is going.

"At the minute, we've not got to the point where we've sat down and said, 'this is what we're going to do with this player and that player'.

"Again, some of that will be based on what we do with the squad moving through January."

All three of the aforementioned players have played important roles in helping Sunderland to move into the automatic promotion spots at the time of writing.

The trios' focus is sure to currently be on their upcoming game this weekend against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park.

The Verdict 

Although it is slightly alarming that the club aren't prioritising negotiations with these players, it is fair to admit that there are more pressing matters at hand on Wearside.

Lee Johnson is keen to bring in new players to the football club in order to help deal with the injury problems that they currently have.

Therefore bringing in some fresh faces should be the priority right now as they bid to make up for the loss of Nathan  Broadhead and others.

In the meantime the contracts should be sorted in good time, with all three players sure to want to stay in the North East given the form that the team is in as a whole.