Lee Johnson has delivered news that Sunderland fans desperately needed to hear - new signings are on the way at the Stadium of Light, per The Chronicle.

Following disappointment in the play-off semi-finals against Lincoln City, the Black Cats cleared the decks ahead of the summer, with senior figures such as Grant Leadbitter, Max Power and Josh Scowen all being released.

The departures list could also be extended next week as the contracts of Charlie Wyke, Denver Hume, Aiden McGeady and Luke O'Nien are yet to be renewed - it does look like Wyke will be moving on but Sunderland will hold hope that the other three will sign up once again.

Aside from those hopeful contract renewals, fresh new signings are clearly needed and there's been somewhat of a frustration amongst fans that no-one has arrived through the door just yet, with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' finances not being stretched as of yet.

That could be about to change though as the remaining players arrive for pre-season training, and Johnson has revealed that the wheels will be turning in the coming days in regards to incomings.

"There's not much I can do [on Monday] apart from have a five-a-side, I think, given the number of players we have got coming back at the moment!" Johnson said regarding the beginning of pre-season training, per The Chronicle,

"But I do expect a trickle of new players, and hopefully players re-signing where possible."

The Verdict

New players will be a welcome relief for Sunderland fans, and if they don't come in soon then pre-season could be very complicated and disjointed.

Sunderland should have no real issues attracting players to the club - Louis-Dreyfus has money to spend and the club as a whole for the level they are at are massive, so fans will have high expectations of the incomings.

Supporters will probably have been worrying seeing promotion rivals for next season like Wigan and Ipswich strengthening their hands very early on in the window, and whilst it's not certain that they'd be shopping in the same markets, Sunderland would for sure have taken a few of the players that have joined both the Latics and the Tractor Boys.

Now the countdown begins until Monday when moves will start to be made on Wearside in regards to signings.