Alex Neil reveals plans for future at Sunderland | OneFootball

Sunderland enjoyed a fairly comfortable League One play-off final victory over Wycombe Wanderers on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

After four long seasons in the third tier, Alex Neil was the man, where Jack Ross, Phil Parkinson and Lee Johnson tried previously, to get the Black Cats over the line and back into the Championship.

Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart supplied the strikes that will go down in history, with the new-found defensive organisation, implemented by Neil himself, seeing them stand firm under pressure.

Neil dropped hints about his summer intentions at the club when he spoke to The Athletic.

He said: “I want to be at Sunderland and take them forward.

“There’s massive scope for us still to go but we understand we’re going to a new level.

“We just need to sit down and have a chat about where we go next.

“If you’re doing a job, you want the tools to do that.

“And I’m no different.”

Neil is a master of the play-offs and will be bullish about the Black Cats’ chances of a strong season in the second tier next term, if he is backed in the transfer market.

Sunderland are arguably the biggest club in the EFL, and they will be expected to act as such in the coming months.

The Verdict

Quiz: Can you name which club Sunderland sold these 23 players to from the last decade?

1 of 23

Asamoah Gyan

Shanghai SIPG Al Ain Legon Cities NorthEast United

Neil only narrowly missed out on a play-off finish at one stage with Preston North End in the Championship.

The Scotsman will be expecting the club to show greater financial muscle, than there was available at Deepdale, in the coming years to give the Black Cats a realistic chance of promotion back to the Premier League.

For now, consolidation should be the main aim for next season, looking to emulate the performances of Neil Critchley’s Blackpool this season would be a good place to start.

Patrick Roberts’ contract situation should also take priority in 2022/23 preparation, with the 25-year-old thriving under Neil at the back end of this season.