The Black Cats have made 11 new signings this summer in preparation for their return to the Premier League, but they’re still in the market to further add to the squad if the opportunities present themselves in the coming fortnight.
Le Bris didn’t reveal which positions Sunderland want to strengthen, but wide attack is understood to be one of the areas they’re looking to bolster. He will also continue to monitor his options at centre-back after the arrival of Omar Alderete this week, but has been hugely impressed by the performances and progression of Jenson Seelt through pre-season.
“We still have one, two or three positions we could reinforce but it’s always connected with the reality of the market,” he said.
“We’ll see. Two weeks to go.”
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Le Bris was delighted to get Alderete in this week.
“He’s a strong, powerful, intense defender. I wouldn’t like to be a No.9 against him,” said Sunderland’s head coach.
“He’s experienced, he’s played a lot with his national team as well. It will be a different mindset, a different leadership and I think it’s useful for our defence.”
Having not played much football in pre-season, Alderete is unlikely to go straight into the side for Saturday’s Premier League opener against West Ham, with Jenson Seelt set to partner Dan Ballard at centre-back.
Le Bris said: “I’m happy with the progression of Jenson. He played only one game last and maybe just five or 10 minutes at the end of another game. His pre-season was really positive.
“He’s still a young player and needs to reinforce his body to get adult maturity. He’s really talented, I like his style of play.
“But at the same time the Premier League is really challenging so we need to find the right balance between talented young players and experience, and the early games will help us find that balance.”
Pierre Ekwah’s exit to St Etienne was confirmed on Thursday, and Sunderland are still looking to offload a number of players who don’t feature in the head coach’s plans.
Le Bris will also make decisions on those who have featured in pre-season but are likely to struggle for game-time in the coming months.
Pressed on the likelihood of exits, he said: “I don’t know, we’ll see. We are ready for everything, just to be clear.
“We’ve worked well and the foundations are strong. The way we work with the top of the organisation, the outcome so far is really positive.
“After that it’s a question of opportunities and regular assessments. If we have to make adjustments, we will.”
