No new links today, but I thought I would post this article up quoting one of the owners, don't know how accurate the figure is on Kenwyns salary, but would of thought not far off the mark.
http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=sport-qqqm=sport-qqqa=sport-qqqid=62608-qqqx=1.asp
Chawke: we’ll meet Keane’s €63m war-chest demand
[/size][/color]
ROY KEANE will be handed his£50m (€63m) transfer budget by the Sunderland board, according to Drummaville consortium member Charlie Chawke.
The Wearsiders secured their top flight status in their first season after winning promotion from the Championship but Keane — who spent £44m (€55.4m) in the last two transfer windows — wants to embark on another significant spending spree to ensure a more comfortable campaign next year.
The Corkman has suggested he requires a £50m (€63m) kitty for signings and has also urged the Stadium of Light hierarchy to significantly increase the budget set aside for player wages. The club’s current top earner is striker Kenwyne Jones, who is paid £25,000 (€31,500)-a-week, but Keane is adamant that unless the club start matching terms offered by north-east rivals Newcastle and Middlesbrough, they will continue to struggle.
Keane is due to meet chairman Niall Quinn and key members of the Drummaville group in the next 48 hours for talks over summer signings but Chawke insists all the manager’s demands will be met
“If £50m (€63m) is what he needs that’s it,” he said. “He can’t do it without the money. If that is the money that he needs well then some way or other he must get it. It is just a matter of getting it for him and going about it in a businesslike manner.
“Roy has had a very difficult year with trying to make Premier League players out of Championship ones. But he has got in some good players now, and now he will get in more players to consolidate our position in the Premier League for next year,” he told Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme.
Keane has already drawn up a list of potential targets, with a new striker foremost in his thoughts. Kevin Doyle, the Reading striker, is a potential option, with the former Cork City forward expected to leave the Madejski this summer following the club’s relegation.
Diego Forlan is also much admired, although the Atletico Madrid striker’s wage demands could be prohibitive.
But Keane is aware that unless Sunderland break their tightly-controlled wage structure, his chances of persuading any to join are slim.
“It was very, very tough last summer and I am under no illusions that this summer is going to be any easier,” Keane said.
“We had one or two players last summer who wouldn’t even come up for talks — that’s what you are battling against. We have to strengthen, we need to be stronger for next season.”
Chalke, meanwhile, is already making plans on how to fill the Stadium of Light next season. Sunderland’s average attendance was 43,344, the fifth largest in the league but also 5,000 short of the ground’s capacity, and Chalke will investigate the possibility of organising more charter flights for Irish-based supporters to see home games.
“I would love to see 48,000 jammed in week after week — that would be a success for me,” he added. “Then we can take on the Manchester Uniteds and the Arsenals and so on. It is very difficult to get flights from Ireland to games. It is something we are looking to work on and the board will have to address it better than they are doing and get people in on charter flights if needs be because half of Ireland wants to go to Sunderland.”
