Sunderland's recruitment to-do list: Replacing Dennis Cirkin and addressing season-long concern

Sunderland are expected to be far more cautious with their recruitment this summer.

The Black Cats earned widespread praise for the way they conducted business last summer, and they will look to achieve the same this time around, albeit on a smaller scale.

It's likely that Sunderland will only be looking to add a handful of players to their squad, mainly to ensure they have adequate depth to cope with the demands of European football.

However, plenty of their business may hinge on what happens regarding outgoings, with several players linked with exits from the Stadium of Light.

With that in mind, Mackem News looks at some of the business that the Black Cats are likely to look into in the coming months.

Dennis Cirkin replacement a priority

Dennis Cirkin announced that he will be leaving Sunderland at the end of June, which is when his deal officialy expires.

As for his future, several Championship clubs have been mooted as a potential landing spot, though it's clear that he won't be short of suitors.

But for Sunderland, that leaves them with a hole to fill, knowing that Reinildo would be the only left-back remaining.

Archie Brown has been linked with Sunderland as a potential remedy for that.

Granit Xhaka concern will start to creep in

Quite frankly, Granit Xhaka was robbed of the Signing of the Season award for the campaign he had with Sunderland.

But nevertheless, his contributions did not go unnoticed, with the Swiss captain a big reason behind the success they achieved.

However, there will be concerns over his ability to feature in every game next season, given that the Black Cats will have at least eight more fixtures to cram into an already busy schedule.

Sunderland simply need to bring in a midfielder of a similar profile to give Regis Le Bris the option to rotate.

New striker may be on Sunderland's agenda

Brian Brobbey is almost certain to be the man that leads the line for the Wearsider's next season, but it's far less clear who will be comepting with him.

Both Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda have been linked with exits from the Stadium of Light, with the latter certainly the more likely to depart.

If either were to move on, then a new striker will become one of the main pririties for the Black Cats, whose main concern last season was scoring goals.

Only Crystal Palace, Wolves and Burnley scored fewer than Sunderland, who managed just 42 goals in 38 games.