Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game against Burnley at Turf Moor (kick-off 15:00 BST).
You can listen to Le Bris speak to BBC Radio Newcastle’s Nick Barnes here.
And here are the key lines from his news conference:
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Le Bris confirmed there were no injury concerns for the visit to Turf Moor.
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He stated that the squad has had a great connection from the beginning, especially from “a human perspective as well as football perspective”.
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On pursuing more defenders: “I think we need competition to be consistent in this league and we need the competition for the squad. Also for the position as well, because of injuries and suspension, but also because of the different style of play we will have to face.”
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The Black Cats boss said that “we will see” if there are any more signings made before the end of the transfer window.
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On potential sales: “The flow of this transfer window is always a bit weird; sometimes it is very slow, but probably next week, many movements will appear. We will have options, so we will see. I hope so (on moving players on).”
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Le Bris also reiterated that they “want to reinforce the squad if it makes sense”. There is still a possibility of bringing in another defender but it “needs to be the right profile.”
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On Dan Ballard: “I am not surprised by his performance because he showed it in the play-offs. The main challenge for him is to repeat week after week, and it is always the main problem. We have many talented players but the main challenge will be the ability to repeat.”
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On Burnley: “They enjoyed a really strong season last year, really consistent, hard to beat, they conceded few goals and they were always well organised. I don’t think it’ll be different and they still have many threats to score goals. It’ll be difficult because they changed their system, but at the same time, we will have a different team with players who played last season but new players as well, so it is always a new story.”
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