Keane begins hunt for new players

Roy Keane cannot hide his excitement as he scours Europe for the players he wants to fuel Sunderland's Barclays Premiership assault.

Within days of seeing his side clinch their return to the top flight, Keane has already drawn up a list of targets as he prepares to invest around £25million in strengthening his squad.

The Black Cats boss is giving nothing away as to the identities of the men he believes can help his side not only cement their place in the Premiership, but make a major impact.

Keane, who will sit down with chairman Niall Quinn and chief executive Peter Walker over the next few weeks to discuss potential targets, said: 'The players we are looking at, they excite me - and it takes a lot to get me excited, let me tell you.

'I had a meeting yesterday with [chief scout] Mick Brown and we have drawn up another few players we hope to bring to the football club.

'But you have to remember this will take time because the players we are interested in are still playing in their seasons.

'There are international matches in the next month or two, the French league has got four games left and there are about six games left in the Spanish league.

'We are looking all over Europe, so as much as we are getting the ball rolling, we know it will take time and, in a sense, we have to be patient.

'But I will have a better understanding in the next week or two when I have had a chance to sit down with Niall and Peter and we can discuss properly what kind of monies are available in terms of transfer fees and the wage side of things.

'It is very hard to get these top players because, first of all, you have got to start with their clubs and negotiations with them, and that takes time.

'Nobody wants to lose good players, but the good thing for us is, having got promotion this week, we have got a much better chance of getting these top players in.

'The top players would have been very reluctant, of course, to come to the Championship, but now we are in the Premiership, we hope we are in a stronger position to get them.'

Former manager Peter Reid struggled to land his top targets the last time the club threatened to break into the upper reaches of the Premiership table - they finished seventh in successive seasons in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 - as the likes of Robbie Keane and Eidur Gudjohnsen rejected the chance to head for Wearside.

However, Keane is confident the new regime at the Stadium of Light can overcome that problem.

He said: 'Years ago, when they were doing well, they attracted some very good players and they spent a few bob.

'But it is different now. There are new owners, there is a new chairman, I am the manager here, the feelgood factor is most certainly back at the football club - it has been for the last few months.'

Whether or not one of those players will be Preston's highly-rated England striker David Nugent remains to be seen, with Keane declining to comment on speculation linking him with Sunderland.

He said: 'I can imagine the speculation. There was some yesterday, there was some the day before. The players I am looking to bring in, we hope will get everyone excited.

'But if I am to comment on every player were are linked with, I will be speaking to you every five minutes over the summer holidays, and I do not want to do that.'

However, out-of-contract Hibernian midfielder Michael Stewart, 26, a former Manchester United colleague of the Irishman's, could resume his career on Wearside after being handed a week's trial.

Keane said: 'Michael is here for a week. I know Michael and I know there has been a problem at Hibs and his contract is up anyway.

'I spoke to him a few months ago and I have invited him down for a week to have a look around. He is here for a week and we will see how it goes.'