Sunderland fans want to see more experience brought in to counterbalance the young talent in their squad. The Black Cats have seen a couple of older heads depart over the summer with 30-year-old Australia international defender Bailey Wright leaving after his contract was terminated by mutual consent, while 30-year-old midfielder Carl Winchester left when his deal expired at the end of June.
And while four new faces have arrived on Wearside - Jobe Bellingham, Luis Semedo, Jenson Seelt, and Nectarios Triantis - all are aged 20 or under. It leaves captain Corry Evans and defender Danny Batth, who are both aged 32, as the two senior men in the squad, with Alex Pritchard the only other player aged 30-plus.
Beyond that, there are just five players aged 25 or above - Luke O'Nien (28), Lynden Gooch (27), Ross Stewart and Patrick Roberts (both 26), and backup goalkeeper Alex Bass (25). At the other end of the scale, this summer's intake so far means the first-team squad contains 16 players aged 22 or younger, with four of those still in their teens.
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In a ChronicleLive poll asking what type of player the club should target next, 42 per cent of fans said the Black Cats should look to bring in more experience. That compared to 25 percent who said the club should prioritise quality loan players, and 20 percent who said the club should continue signing youngsters and just 13 percent who felt a big money statement signing should be the main aim.
Sunderland have pursued a deliberate policy over the last 12 months to bring in young talent with a view to developing those players while on Wearside and, potentially, selling them on, although sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has repeatedly said that the strategy is to keep some old heads in the side. Last season Tony Mowbray's squad had the lowest average age in the Championship at just 22.5 years.
