“They are looking for the type of player that will stick their chest out. If you put ability on that, we could have a proper Sunderland player in the making. When he has worked out what he needs, it will get interesting.

“I hope the location and the fact we’re the only Premier League team in the North East won’t cost us, after all it didn’t stop a guy from Missouri from buying the club. Hopefully it will mean players will come here.”

After tying up the loose ends on Bruce’s contract earlier this week, attention inevitably shifts to signings and there has been varying amounts of speculation about the size of the transfer kitty that will be made available to the Black Cats’ new boss. Quinn has ridiculed suggestions of a £200m transfer pot, but there will be funds available if the right players are identified – and Bruce will get more than Roy Keane spent last season.

But part of the motivation for bringing in Bruce was his ability to spend cash “smartly” – and Quinn is determined that the enormous sums of money being spent by Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea will not distract from their mission to invest wisely.

Indeed, the Sunderland chairman, who retains his empathy with the everyday football fan, admits some of the money being spent during a global recession makes him “uncomfortable”. “The big figures for fees that are flying around at the moment makes me even more determined to be smarter. I am not going to knock any club, but ours will be intelligent. We will do things smartly.

“I’m not trying to put them (agents and players) off but it will have to be intelligent. We need to spend wisely. We will kick on.

“It’s frightening at the moment. I don’t envy the clubs paying £75m for a player. In some ways it would make me feel uncomfortable.

“But it’s their business, so let them get on with it.”