Sunderland are in the process of finalising the budget for their return to the Championship - and the club's ownership situation will have no impact on the finances available, according to Kristjaan Speakman. The Black Cats are preparing to make the step up following their play-off final win at Wembley last weekend and there is an understanding that there will have to be significant investment to give head coach Alex Neil a squad that can compete in the second tier.
Chairman and largest single shareholder Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is in control of all decisions, but the continued presence of Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven - who between them own 39 percent of the club - is still a source of concern for supporters. But sporting director Speakman says the shareholder structure is not an issue as far as planning for the new campaign is concerned.
"I do totally appreciate that the ownership question is one that keeps coming up," said Speakman. "From my perspective, in all the time I've been here, everything has been as it was sold to me in terms of how we run.
