Gus Poyet has been speaking about his former club Sunderland

Former Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has admitted that the Black Cats may face a battle to keep hold of some of their best players this summer following their eye-catching return to life in the Premier League.

Regis Le Bris’ men were especially active in the transfer window following their long-awaited return to the top flight, and several of their new acquisitions have shone brightly as the club have played their way towards the relative safety of midtable with just seven matches remaining this term.

Indeed, the likes of Robin Roefs and Noah Sadiki, among others, have impressed to such an extent that they have already found themselves at the centre of simmering transfer speculation, with several high profile suitors reportedly keeping tabs on their progress at the Stadium of Light.

What has Gus Poyet said about Sunderland’s summer transfer prospects?

And with that in mind, Poyet has argued that his old club could be set for a testing preseason as they field interest in certain members of their squad. Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of Betwright, when asked if the Black Cats might struggle to retain the services of some players, the Uruguayan said: “That's for sure. But that's difficult. Look, I always say, when you're a team like Sunderland, and you bring a player in and the player does so well, and then here comes a bigger club, with respect to Sunderland, and they pay a fortune for him, it's difficult to try not to let them go.

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“Now, I don't think there are going to be too many [exits]. It could be one or two offers. I don't think it’s going to be five. The most important thing is that the coach knows perfectly the team and knows where maybe they can improve, and that's up to him. Because me, I can say a position because of my understanding, but it's up to the coach.”

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He continued: “The other situation is to have a space in the team, in the squad. For sure, there is a few that the coach will prefer to move on. And those are the difficult ones for the sporting director, I promise you. It's the worst part for the sporting director when you have a player with a three-year contract that didn't play too much, and you need to find a solution. And that's part of his job.

“So I think that balance of not losing too many of the good ones, being able to get rid of a few of the ones that are not performing or not playing, and bring exactly what you need. The closer you get to that perfection, the better for the coach.”

At the time of writing, Sunderland are 11th in the Premier League, 14 points clear of the relegation zone with seven matches left to play, and just three points adrift of seventh-placed Brentford. Depending on the manner in which they finish the season and how many English teams are eligible to participate in continental competitions next season, there remains a chance that the Black Cats could qualify for Europe.

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