Sebastian Coates: Leaving Liverpool FC was an easy decision

Transfers In: Younes Kaboul ($5 million, Tottenham Hotspur), Jeremain Lens ($12 million, Dynamo Kyiv), Adam Matthews ($3 million, Celtic), Sebastian Coates ($6 million, Liverpool).

You could easily argue that Pantilimon was the reason Sunderland stayed up last season, as the lanky former Manchester City man made big save after big save for the Black Cats.

“The goal will give me a lot of confidence but even without it I would be starting with a lot, because I have great team-mates, great fans and everybody is supporting me”.

“When I first came here last year, I just did it to play games and recover from my injuries”.

Coates was crucial to the Dutch tactician last season – playing every single minute of the Black Cats’ final six games in the Premier League – as the 67-year-old steered the club away from the relegation zone.

He is quoted in the Liverpool Echo as saying: “I did not think about making [the move] permanent”.

“It was not certain I would leave Liverpool this summer but I always thought I would have to speak with the club and see what the situation was”.

Sunderland have to be fighting fit when the Premier League gets underway a week today, not during the phoney war of pre-season, believes Jack Rodwell.

Coates is likely to begin the season as one of Advocaat’s first-choice central halves, but he will not be an automatic pick.

In reality, Sunderland’s team at Leicester is unlikely to be radically different to the one that started against Hannover, although John O’Shea may return to the side at the heart of defence in place of Younes Kaboul, who is still building up his fitness and played just less than an hour at the weekend.

It is essential that Sunderland turn as many draws as possible from last season into wins.

“You have to take those chances and I hope have the opportunity to play regularly”. “I’ve had a good pre-season”, he added.

When speaking about Wednesday’s game, Lens said it was “good” to play his first match and, despite the result, he took the positives saying that the players were beginning to “understand each other“.

“It’s only a pre-season game, so the focus is on getting your shape for the start of the Premier League”.