Tuesday 12 July 2016 13:36, UK
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce says he is losing patience with the current transfer market, as his side reach mid-July without a single new signing.
The 61-year-old, whose team narrowly avoided relegation last season, says prices have rocketed out of control, making it increasingly difficult for the Black Cats to find the right value for money.
Sunderland were on the cusp of signing Davide Santon from Inter Milan last week, only for negotiations to break down at the last minute, and the man who has been tipped to take over as England manager admits his patience is wearing "very, very thin indeed".
Speaking from the squad's summer training camp in Austria, Allardyce said: "The two key ingredients [in the summer] are steering clear of these players getting injured, which can happen in pre-season, and not having the ability, just yet, to improve the squad with a new signing.
"We need two, three or four players as quickly as we possibly can. It's been a huge demand on all our resources trying to find those players and we will continue to until we're successful.
"The problem is that everybody thinks the money makes things easier, but it's actually made things more difficult, because we all have the same money and everybody else has got so much more expensive.
"The same player that cost £10m last year will now cost £20m, and the £20m one will now cost £35m or £40m, and the £40m one now costs £60m or £80m.
"That is the unfortunate market that we are working in, and we are trying to work in that market as shrewdly as possible to get the best players and the best value for money as we can.
"The fans, hopefully, will be a little bit patient. I have to admit myself that my patience is wearing thin - very, very thin indeed - but we have to keep striving to bring in those three or four players as quickly as possible.
"It was a huge disappointment for me, that I've only really just overcome, not being able to clinch the Davide Santon deal just a few days ago."
