Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has revealed that he will expect new signings that the club makes to move to Wearside and show their commitment to the move.

The Black Cats have a bit of a break over Christmas with their next few games postponed until the 29th thanks to the virus.

It might be an opportunity, then, for Speakman and head coach Lee Johnson to work on a plan of action for the January window as the club bids to get out of League One.

With that said, then, Speakman has revealed that he'll be moving to the area soon from Birmingham and that he expects new players to do the same.

Outlining things when asked if he'd be moving north, he said to the #SAFCUnfiltered podcast, via the Sunderland Echo:

"I will be.

"I’ve got to prise my lovely wife out of Birmingham – she’s Birmingham through and through and we only live a few streets away from her parents, so from that perspective that’s a lovely comfort for her with young children.

"But it’s a commitment that we made when I accepted the job, and I’m really fortunate that she’s supportive of me and my lifestyle.

"We’ll move up to the area.

"You have to commit – that’s something we want to say to the players in the future, that you have to commit.

"And if you’re not going to do it yourself, you can’t put it on others – can you?”

The Verdict

It's a fair point from Speakman.

A player needs to immerse themselves in the area to truly feel a representative of the club and the people they are representing.

Indeed, a few more like that could really help Sunderland along this season and it is good that Speakman is going to set an example by making the move himself.

There appears to be better unity and structure in place at the club, so let's see how that develops as things continue.