Quinn in no rush to splash the cash

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn will not be rushed into spending the club's summer transfer kitty by the weight of expectation.

The newly-promoted Black Cats have around £25m to fund manager Roy Keane's shopping spree as he prepares for life in the Premiership.

However, having seen the previous regime invest heavily in the past and get it wrong during his playing days on Wearside, Quinn is determined to take his time and get it right this time around.

He said: "Sometimes fans put pressure on boards to get players signed and sometimes players get signed who just don't fit in at the club they join.

"It happens all the time. It is a pressurised sport, but what Roy and I lack in terms of running a football club, we make up for by looking at things from a purely footballing point of view.

"And if we get the footballing side of things right, then everything else will fall into place.

"We have enough expertise on the board to help us in other areas away from the playing field, but the focus is very much on football."

Relegation from the Premiership back in 2003 came as the club was plunged deep into debt with then manager Mick McCarthy forced to offload 23 players, including most of his biggest names.

He then rebuilt on a tight budget, but could not keep his side in the top flight after guiding them back after just two seasons.

However, those restraints have been loosened by the investment provided by Quinn's Drumaville consortium, and Keane will be able to build from a position of strength.

Quinn told the Sunderland Echo: "The situation we are in now, no-one has to leave the club.

"All we will do this summer is add to the squad, and if we can do that and the crowd can help us hit the ground running next season, then we will be on our way to being a big club again.

"And the beauty of it is that I don't have to build a stadium or an academy. There are no buildings that need to be built.

"Everything is in place for us to just focus on the football. That's why it is such a good club for me and Roy - two football people - to be involved in.

"The previous regime left me as good a set of buildings as I could have wanted.

"You have to look at getting the business relationship right between chairman and manager to drive the club forward and in particular to get the transfer side of things right.

"Getting the right players in and getting the right team together is 90% of getting a successful football club.

"Then there's organising the smaller things - Roy's backroom staff, dieticians and strength coaches and really professionalising the club and getting all the small things right.

"Roy has been methodical and calculated in everything he has done, and that suits us. It's the same in the transfer market."