Quinn targets new signings

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn is ready to step up his efforts in the transfer market after seeing the current squad return for pre-season training.

New manager Steve Bruce and his players got down to business today with Quinn working hard behind the scenes to land his targets.

Quinn said: “There’s a great excitement around the place and, after all the talking we have been doing for the last six weeks, it’s all now down to the action.

“The players coming back is a big thing. The place is a hive of activity.”

Quinn has acknowledged that Manchester City defender Richard Dunne is a target, although he is yet to discover whether the Republic of Ireland international is available.

The Black Cats have tabled a bid for Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch and are understood to have been in touch with Manchester United youngster Fraizer Campbell’s representatives.

Their interest in Tottenham striker Darren Bent is ongoing, although it remains to be seen whether they can lure him to Wearside at the third time of asking, and whether or not they are prepared to meet Spurs’ valuation of a man for whom they paid £16.5m.

There could be movement too in the other direction, although Sunderland are yet to comment publicly on claims that former boss Roy Keane has had a joint offer of £5m for skipper Dean Whitehead and Daryl Murphy accepted.

To date, only Michael Chopra and Greg Halford have left the club, and it seems likely that there will be further departures even though Bruce has promised every player a chance to prove himself.

They will play their first pre-season friendly at Darlington next Thursday and the chairman admits he cannot wait to see Geordie Bruce get down to business.

Quinn told the club’s official website, www.safc.com: “He’s clued in. He’s with it. Above all, he understands and he gets what this area is all about in football terms.

“Whether he was born five or six miles left or right, that’s not the point. The point is that he knows what gets a north east crowd at the edge of their seats.”