Tuesday 13 December 2016 17:47, UK
Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain has revealed any January spending by the club will be "very, very limited".
The Premier League's bottom club are in desperate need of fresh blood after a summer window that left them short in a number of departments, allied to long-term injuries to a clutch of players.
But with American owner Ellis Short actively looking to sell the club and Sunderland on the cusp of Financial Fair Play regulations, manager David Moyes is set to go into the remainder of the season with meagre additions - if any - to his threadbare squad.
In his first interview since taking over from the sacked Margaret Byrne in July, Bain outlined the challenges that face Sunderland in the coming months.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: "No transfer window pans out exactly how you expect it to, so who knows what will happen. But sitting here as we are today, I can say we are going to be very, very limited in being able to do anything (in January).
"Where you are shopping is dictated on how much you have to spend. We are very limited in that aspect. We have to make sure we are fishing in the right markets with certain principles and policies in place.
"Is there potential we could go through that window without buying a player? My clear message for the Sunderland fans is that we are going to be very limited in terms of what we can do in that window and together with the fans we have to be accepting in that fact and rally round with what we have and make sure we do our absolute utmost."
Bain was brought to the club by Short after two years at Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Previous to that the 47-year-old had spent time as chief executive of Glasgow giants Rangers. He says that experience has stood him in good stead for this the challenges he now faces at Sunderland.
"I was aware of the broad financial aspect (before arriving at Sunderland). Ellis employed me because he wanted me to rebuild some good foundations," Bain said.
"I have come into a football club that has struggled in recent times and I believe passionately that stability in management is absolutely core to the success of a football club.
"Seven managers in five years has a knock-on effect to the lack of profit in player trading - these managers have brought their own style of play and you ultimately get into a vicious circle.
"But you are never really aware of the ins and outs until you lift the bonnet and get in to it day-to-day.
"Somebody told me the other day that 46 players have come and gone since 2009 and we have only made a profit on three of them so fundamentally that tells you everywhere we have got to in terms of the financial backdrop.
"Do we need to sell before we can buy? Fundamentally that is something that you don't want to do because you are selling the assets within the football squad and that's not something I am keen to do and not something that the manager is keen to see happen.
"You want to hold on to the players that are assets. However in any football club you need to look at the circumstances that you are operating within and while not something I would promote, we need to look at things accordingly."
Bain has built up a solid working relationship with fellow-Scot Moyes, and the two are working around the clock to right the wrongs of the past that has seen Sunderland flirt with relegation on an annual basis.
He added: "We now have a manager in David Moyes with an abundance of experience. He is the right manager for turning around this football club, he is very much a club guy.
"My toughest challenge is to support the manager in every way that I can.
"Fundamentally that involves the financial backdrop that we have at the club, because there's only so much you can do without the necessary investment.
"I need to address the short term pressure and be very active in rebuilding the football club moving forward.
"David and I have an understanding and mutual respect - we are very aligned in our thinking."
Sky Sports News HQ understands American tycoon Short is actively looking to sell the Wearside club after seven years at the helm.
There has been interest from a number of investors but no sale has come close.
Bain added: "If you are in a buoyant housing market and someone knocks on your door you don't dismiss them - you listen and see what is proposed.
"We aren't any different in that perspective. But if there is something that is going to benefit Sunderland Football Club then Ellis will definitely listen to it because he has his football club at heart.
"I've heard criticism of the owner which is very unfair. People forget he funds the shortfall of this club and that can be overlooked.
"Going forward I think Ellis has probably realised that we are probably at this point that we can't keep having short-term measures. It's about what investment is required moving forward is done in the right way without such a short-term outlook.
"But I'm not naive enough to know that that's not balanced by where we sit in the table at the minute and the team needs assistance."
Sunderland host table-topping Chelsea on Wednesday night looking to lift themselves off the foot of the table.
Bain added: "You can see green shoots coming in certain places and we had a little run of results there. Positivity and confidence is everything and there is a good bunch of people here that want the club to succeed.
"It will be a tough fight and nobody is under any illusions that it wont be. But what we have at this club is a great deal of sprit and there is a real sense of defiance amongst the manager and players."
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