The appointment of Simon Grayson at Sunderland came somewhat as a surprise.

However, whilst some may have expected a may high profile name, Grayson’s work at Preston North End has been nothing short of remarkable.

With extremely limited resources and a shoestring budget, Simon Grayson has worked wonders to help Preston North End sustain their status in the Championship and push for a top half finish.

Now that Simon Grayson’s task is a much different one as Grayson now has the task to attempt to mount a promotion challenge with Sunderland.

To do so, Grayson will need to use this summer transfer window wisely to give the squad a much-needed overhaul.

At the Stadium of Light, there is expected to be a high turnover of players as the recently relegated side looks to prepare for life in the Championship.

FLW writer Elliott Wheat-Bowen looks at two major transfer decisions that Sunderland will make in the coming weeks.

 

Sign - Ryan Woods

As Sunderland prepare for life in the Championship, Simon Grayson may consider signing some Championship-ready players to help ease the transition and help Sunderland hit the ground running.

One player who has been linked with a move to Sunderland in the past few days is Brentford's dynamic central midfielder, Ryan Woods.

The 23-year-old central midfielder joined Brentford from Shrewsbury Town, like many of Brentford's signings from the lower leagues, Woods has flourished at the Championship level.

A string of impressive performances last season has attracted the attention of a number of Championship sides who would like to prise Woods away from Brentford this summer.

The club most likely to do this is Sunderland, this is a move that Sunderland needs to prioritise over the coming weeks as Simon Grayson looks to add fresh energy and enthusiasm into Sunderland's midfield as well as adding proven Championship quality.

Sell - Darron Gibson

The arrival of Darron Gibson in the January transfer window came somewhat as a surprise and it seemed to be a desperate last-ditch effort from David Moyes.

In a disappointing spell, the 29-year-old midfielder made only twelve appearances since making the switch from Everton and struggled to make a positive impression at the Stadium of Light.

Following the departure of David Moyes, Darron Gibson could follow Moyes and leave Sunderland this summer after a short but unsuccessful stint.

Simon Grayson may feel that he has a serious rebuilding job is on his hands and his first task is to clear the deadwood out of the club ahead of next season.

Darron Gibson falls into this category and whilst he may have the pedigree to be successful in the Championship, Sunderland needs to make this major transfer decision to take the club in a different direction.