Keane will get £50m for new signings

May 14 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

SUNDERLAND will step up their global search for the reinforcements capable of making them an established Premier League force after Roy Keane was promised the £50m transfer war chest he demanded last month.

The Black Cats boss met chairman Niall Quinn and chief executive Peter Walker earlier this week to plot the club’s movements ahead of an important summer for the club as they look to avoid a repeat of this season’s flirtation with relegation.

Keane has been vocal in his insistence that building on this year’s achievements can only be done with sizeable funds and the board are in agreement – with Drumaville consortium member Charlie Chawke indicating the club will match the manager’s demand and find the £50m he believes they need.

That will mean Keane departs for New Zealand to observe the All Blacks’ training camp this summer satisfied the club are prepared to match his ambition and fund a recruitment drive that is already spanning the Continent.

The Black Cats sent a delegation to Germany last week to run the rule over high-flying Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, and are understood to have sanctioned a scouting party to watch Australia’s ‘super June’ programme of World Cup qualifiers – an indication that

while British-based players remain the priority, Keane will spend abroad if needs be.

Chawke’s pledge also came with an indication that the consortium is in agreement with the manager that too many of the squad he has overseen this year are not good enough to make a sustained impact in the top flight.

“If £50m is what he needs that’s it,” Chawke said. “He can’t do it without the money. If that is the money that he needs well then some way or other he must get it. It is just a matter of getting it for him and going about it in a businesslike manner.

“Roy has had a very difficult year with trying to make Premier League players out of Championship ones. But he has got in some good players now, and now he will get in more players to consolidate our position in the Premier League for next year.”

If the pledge to find more money to add to the £44m that Keane invested in the squad last season is anything to go by, the Drumaville consortium’s love affair with the Black Cats is showing no signs of abating.

Indeed Chawke believes they are capable of building on this season’s average gate of over 43,000 by making it easier for the club’s growing Irish fan-base to get to games. He believes that more charter flights from Ireland to the North East would help bring Sunderland into line with the attendances secured by the Premier League’s Big Four.

“I would love to see 48,000 jammed in week after week — that would be a success for me,” he added. “Then we can take on the Manchester Uniteds and the Arsenals and so on. It is very difficult to get flights from Ireland to games. It is something we are looking to work on and the board will have to address it better than they are doing and get people in on charter flights if needs be – because half of Ireland wants to go to Sunderland.”

Meanwhile, striker Kenwyne Jones is set to defy the prognosis of Sunderland’s medical team and play in Trinidad & Tobago’s friendly game with England this month.

The striker chipped a bone in his wrist in Sunday’s final game against Arsenal and had originally been ruled out of the May 29 match by Roy Keane, but it has emerged that Jones has informed Trinidand & Tobago manager David Muhammad he is still in contention to play.

The forward must have his wrist in a ‘hard’ cast for a fortnight which rules him out of training, but after that he is free to train with his hand in a ‘soft’ cast. That gives him every chance of playing in the May game.

“We spoke to him on Monday about it. Of course he wants to play the game but the situation is one we have to monitor before making any final decisions,” said manager Muhammad.

SUNDERLAND will finish their pre-season preparations by welcoming Dutch champions Ajax to the Stadium of Light to mark the 35th anniversary of their 1973 FA Cup final triumph. The four-times European champions are scheduled to visit on August 3 with a 3pm kick off, much to the delight of Sunderland boss Keane.

“It’s great to have top opposition lined up for our pre-season calendar,” he said. “It will be an important game for us and our preparations for the Premier League season, but it should also be a top game for what is an important anniversary for this football club.”