MIKE Dodds believes Sunderland are a productive summer transfer window away from being a "very strong Championship side" - and says the Black Cats are in a position of strength when it comes to keeping their star players.

Sunderland head for Watford today for their penultimate game of what has been a disappointing season, with hopes of a second successive top six finish having long disappeared.

A crucial summer is approaching on Wearside, with the top priority for the club's hierarchy being the appointment of a new permanent head coach. Talks with candidates are ongoing.

There's also work to be done on the squad, with a striker top of the summer to-do list and some more experience needed to support a young squad.

And while interim head coach Dodds admits this has been a disappointing campaign for Sunderland, he maintains there's still plenty to be positive about going into a pivotal summer.

"We’ve got the youngest team in the EFL, which would suggest we’ve got a lot of players with a huge amount of upside," he said, before turning his attention to the summer window.

"I do think we’ve got a real core of a very, very good team that we feel need probably a little bit of support.

"You support that core and you’re not a million miles away from being a very strong Championship side."

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While adding to the squad is the priority for Sunderland, they're also likely to face a fight to keep hold of some star players. There will undoubtedly be interest in Jack Clarke, who was wanted by Lazio in January and has been monitored by a number of clubs this season, while the likes of Anthony Patterson, Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg are all being eyed by Premier League clubs.

Dodds said: "I don’t like calling players assets but you look at all those players, they’re all under good, long-term contracts so the club has a huge amount of power if there was any anxiety around some players leaving.

"If anyone did want to come and take our successful players it’s going to have to be a premium. In terms of that, I think there are a lot of positives.

"At the moment, middle of the table is nowhere near where we want to be. There’s been some things this season which haven’t gone as well as we want them to but we will all be reflecting in two weeks to ensure next season we have a much more positive season. I’m 99 per-cent sure that next season will be a really positive season for everyone associated to the football club."