MIKE Dodds says Sunderland's plan for the January transfer window is unaffected by Tony Mowbray's exit and won't change in the coming weeks, regardless of what happens with the head coach situation.

Sunderland's transfer model doesn't depend on the identity of the man in charge, and while the head coach - whoever it is - has a key input on recruitment and targets, they don't necessarily have the final say on who arrives and what business is carried out.

Sunderland's recruitment team have long been planning for the January transfer window and the plans that have been put in place still stand, despite the exit of Mowbray and even though there's currently uncertainty as to who comes in.

Sunderland will only target managerial candidates who are suited to the skillset of the players currently on Sunderland's books and potential January targets, so, in principle, there will be no complications if an external head coach is appointed before or even during the winter window.

Current interim boss Mike Dodds is well aware of the club's transfer plans having sat in several meetings over recent months and, regardless of how his position potentially changes in the coming weeks, he will continue to feed his thoughts to the club's bosses and recruitment team.

Dodds believes Sunderland's success in the last two games after Mowbray's exit is evidence of the success of the club's transfer model.

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"It's not a case of the head coach not having a say," said Dodds as he discussed the club's transfer model.

"From my experience of working under head coaches while I've been at the football club, the head coach does have an opinion, of course they have an opinion, it's not just this is a player, work with them.

"So they have an opinion but what the football club will not do, and I mean this respectfully, but they won't have a situation where a manager comes in and says, 'I want this player or that player'. it doesn't work out and it's a constant reset.

"The last two games, what it has done is highlight the importance of the model or whatever you want to call it. Because you lose a head coach, the cogs still keep turning and things don't change behind the scenes. That's the same with recruitment.

"We discuss regularly players in, players out, loan options in and out. I've been part of that process for 15 months and I don't see that changing whatever role I'm in at the football club, I don't see that changing."