Sbragia: "Sunderland not a charity"

Jan 8 2009 By Paul Loraine

Ricky Sbragia has warned Sunderland will neither be held to ransom by sellers nor treated as a charity by buyers during this month’s transfer window.

The Black Cats boss is currently attempting to strengthen his own squad while offloading some of the excess baggage acquired during predecessor Roy Keane’s reign.

But with just weeks in the management game behind him, he has already had an insight into the vagaries of the market.

Sbragia is keen to recruit at least one experienced Barclays Premier League defender but has already found the perception that he has money to spend has had an effect on asking prices - while the figures the Black Cats have been offered for some of their fringe players come nowhere near their valuations.

He said: ``We have earmarked one, probably, to buy - but the prices for some reason seem to rise.

``It seems to go double for Sunderland - I don’t know why. We put a price on a player and we believe that’s a fair price - and if it goes well beyond that we won’t be interested.

``But then they come to us and they want charity from us.

``We pay good prices for players. But at the end of the day teams come in and put a price in for a player and it’s well below what we estimate."

Sbragia is not identifying his targets publicly but has made it clear which area of the squad he is looking to reinforce.

He said: ``I don’t think it is any secret we need defenders, so I am looking at that - and I am looking, in general, at people who have Premier League experience.

``But teams are reluctant to let players go out, especially when we are in the situation we are.

``We are in dialogue with a couple, but the one thing I won’t do is be held to ransom.

``The club’s point of view regarding the other side is Sunderland football club is not a charity.

``I have got a figure in my mind of what I would pay for somebody - and I won’t go any higher than that."

Sbragia has admitted that departures are also likely but remains determined to hang on to his senior players, having already insisted the likes of striker El-Hadji Diouf and full-back Pascal Chimbonda are not for sale.

Sunderland have dismissed suggestions that Chimbonda could be allowed to return to Tottenham on loan - while Sbragia is adamant that his former Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is wasting his time if, as has been suggested, he tables a bid for Senegal international Diouf.

He said: ``I wouldn’t have a bid for Diouf."

Diouf’s comments in recent days have done little to quell the speculation that he could leave, but Sbragia is in a constant dialogue with the 27-year-old.

``He doesn’t have to make an appointment - I’ll say that," Sbragia divulged.

``I spoke to him yesterday; I spoke to him the day before that; I have spoken to him on the phone; we have informal chats.

``He knows I want him to stay - and at the end of the day, he is contracted to the club. It’s as simple as that."

Sbragia, who confirmed there has been no contact with Rangers over David Healy, revealed Michael Chopra will not be allowed to re-join Cardiff after returning from a two-month loan spell in South Wales.

He said: ``Chopra will not be moving at all. I need four strikers, and he is going to be one of the four.

``The front two, Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse, have done extremely well. But I need back-up as well.

``There has been a lot of speculation, but I can’t afford to lose my better players."