Alex Neil's message, delivered in the wake of Tuesday's friendly defeat at Bradford City, could hardly be more clear. "I don't want to do my business on the last day in August – I want to get my business done as quickly as possible," said a frustrated Neil.
But with just ten days to go before Sunderland kick-off their Championship campaign against Coventry City in front of the TV cameras at the Stadium of Light, time is running out as far as having a fully-formed squad, ready to go from the off, is concerned. Four new recruits have arrived, two of whom - widemen Leon Dajaku and Jack Clarke - joined on a permanent basis after spending last season here on loan, while defenders Dan Ballard annd Aji Alese have also signed.
Yet the squad remains weaker than it was at the end of May, both in terms of numbers and in terms of the gaps that need to be filled. On a simple head-count alone, Sunderland are five men down.
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Excluding the returning Dajaku and Clarke, seven senior players departed over the summer either because their contracts expired or their loans came to an end, and they have been offset by Ballard and Alese, the only two genuinely new faces. And as far as gaps are concerned, the fact that Ross Stewart is the club's only out-and-out centre-forward at this point in proceedings is just the most glaring - and alarming - example.
Goalkeeper Anthony Patterson performed well in the second half of last season and deserves his chance this term but 20 League One appearances are no guarantee that he will cope in the Championship, and the departures of Lee Burge and Thorben Hoffmann have left Sunderland with no senior cover in the event of injury or if he needs a break. Centre-backs Ballard and Alese seem good replacements, and possibly upgrades, on Arbenit Xhemajli and Callum Doyle, who have left since last season, and with Bailey Wright and Danny Batth also in the squad, that is one area that seems relatively strong.
But Aiden McGeady, Nathan Broadhead, and the unlamented Will Grigg, have gone without being replaced as yet. Two strikers to fill the gaps left by Broadhead and Grigg are a must, and Sunderland are working on those areas with a return for Broadhead one potential option, while others such as Spurs' Troy Parrott, and Aston Villa's Cameron Archer have been suggested as alternatives.
Then, as things stand, Sunderland will go into the new season relying on Lynden Gooch and/or Carl Winchester at right-back, with the still-inexperienced Trai Hume likely as backup. And at left-back, either Alese or Luke O'Nien are the options as cover for Dennis Cirkin.
Of course, there is another week still to go to address the deficiencies of this squad - and let's not forget, last season's squad needed to be improved for the step up, not merely replaced on a like-for-like basis - before the big kick-off. After that, the situation becomes more desperate.
Because Sunderland will play seven league games before the transfer deadline - around one-sixth of their entire campaign. Of course, a balance must be struck between the need to bring players in early for maximum impact, and the need to wait for the right players to become available at the right price.
But if there is one thing Sunderland cannot afford this season, it is to give their rivals a seven-game headstart. It is going to be tough enough as it is to make the step up from League One to the Championship without playing catch-up from the off.
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