Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has told Chronicle Live that the club's decision to be patient in the transfer market has paid off after Dennis Cirkin put in a great performance on his debut. 

The recent signing from Tottenham Hotspur put in a solid showing in the away win over MK Dons yesterday and showed exactly why he is so highly rated.

Prior to bringing in Cirkin and another recent signing in Frederik Alves from West Ham on loan, the Black Cats had only brought in three new additions.

However Johnson has now jumped to the club's defence by suggesting that their decision to take their time in the market has paid off, as he stated the following:

"In a perfect world, you want to get your transfer work done early but on the flip side of that, it's easy to sign average players - for good players you have to wait."

The club has also signed the likes of Corry Evans, Alex Pritchard and Callum Doyle from Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Manchester City respectively.

Sunderland are back in league action on Tuesday as they take on Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.

The Verdict 

It's hard not to agree with Johnson on this one, as the business he has conducted has been very shrewd and well calculated so far.

The club have done really well to bring in both a mix of youth and experience and they have certainly shown on the pitch that they will be right up there for the promotion race in the long term.

It is obviously still early days for the Black Cats, but the signs so far are very good and many people will be hoping that this is the start of a special season at the Stadium of Light.

Johnson knows he has to deliver promotion this term and many will be expecting him to achieve that goal next May.