KRISTJAAN SPEAKMAN has apologised to Sunderland supporters for the delay in appointing Regis Le Bris as head coach this summer, but hinted that some positive contractual news is imminent.

Le Bris took charge of his first training session in charge of the Black Cats yesterday, with his appointment following his departure from Lorient having been confirmed at the end of last month.

His predecessor as permanent head coach, Michael Beale, was dismissed in February, and with Mike Dodds seeing the season out on an interim basis, it took the Sunderland hierarchy more than four months to appoint a new boss.

There were reasons for the delay, with the Black Cats initially turning to Will Still before having to lodge an appeal to ensure Le Bris received a work permit, but Speakman admits the resultant uncertainty was far from ideal.

“I think acquiring a head coach is always a complex process,” said Sunderland’s sporting director. “But I think it would be remiss of us not to mention the fact that our comms weren’t great over the summer. That wasn't intentional.

“You know, the plan was to go out early with information. That became a little bit difficult with how that process went.

“And even when Kyril (Louis-Dreyfus) made his statement in early June (saying an appointment was imminent), it was several weeks later that we were actually able to conclude the deal and announce Regis as the head coach. We'll certainly try to improve that element and we really, really respect the patience.”

That is all in the past now though, with Le Bris having begun work with Sunderland’s players ahead of the opening pre-season friendlies against South Shields and Gateshead a week on Saturday.

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The 48-year-old has never worked outside France before, having cut his teeth in youth development with Rennes and Lorient before spending two seasons as the latter’s head coach, but Speakman is confident Sunderland have acquired a coach capable of radically improving their fortunes.

“In Regis, you’re getting a really thoughtful, really diligent, really detailed coach, tactically really astute,” he said, in an interview with Sunderland’s official website. “Everything we do will be geared towards developing the group, developing the team, the individual focus and ultimately winning games.”

Speakman’s main responsibility in the remainder of the summer will be to oversee Sunderland’s transfer business and resolve the contractual issues that could play a major role in determining how the club fare next season.

Chris Rigg’s future has been a subject of fevered debate for much of the last six months, but despite strong interest from a number of Premier League clubs including Newcastle United and Manchester United, the teenage midfielder is set to sign his first professional contract with Sunderland.

Rigg has agreed the terms of a three-year deal on Wearside, with confirmation of his decision expected in the next few days.

Speakman has also been dealing with sustained interest in Jobe Bellingham, with Sunderland having rebuffed a number of inquiries from Brentford and Crystal Palace so far this summer. There is also likely to be interest in Jack Clarke, with the winger having entered the final two years of his current deal.

“My ultimate focus is the transfer window and making sure the squad is in the right place moving forward,” said Speakman. “We've already started that process with the goalkeeping changes we've already made (signing Simon Moore and allowing Alex Bass and Nathan Bishop to leave).

“It’s also about retaining talent and, hopefully, we’ll have good news in the next couple of days on some our exciting talent.”