JERMAIN DEFOE thinks another of summer of change on Wearside could finally lead to success after securing Sunderland's place in the Premier League next season – particularly if Dick Advocaat remains in charge.

Advocaat has landed a personal £1m windfall - believed to include a £500,000 bonus – for keeping the Black Cats in the top-flight for a further year and owner Ellis Short is desperate to persuade him to stay on.

But the Dutchman’s wife remains keen to have him back in Holland to start his retirement and, as things stand, he is unlikely to be still in charge for much longer than Sunday’s final day trip to champions Chelsea.

Defoe has only been at Sunderland since January, but fighting to avoid the drop into the Championship has been the story of the majority of the eight years since Roy Keane led them to promotion in 2007.

And a key factor during that period is instability during the summer; with Gus Poyet and Paolo Di Canio in particular both overseeing huge changes to personnel and the way the team has played during the last two close seasons.

But Defoe does not think a further summer of realignment will necessarily be a bad thing and suggests that if Short can bring in the right man to lead them then Sunderland could enjoy a drastic change of fortunes.

“It’s part and parcel of football that a new manager comes in, new players come in,” said Defoe. “You have to get on with it and do your job. The lads will go away and have a good rest. Every game you play is difficult and for me the most important thing is that whoever comes in we start the season flying and get the points on the board early doors.

“I had a new manager all the time at Tottenham, it could be unsettling but you need to trust your manager again, different formations, different styles, players. We will see what happens. We don’t know who will be the manager, if Dick will take the job. We will see.”

Being involved in a relegation tussle is something Defoe had not endured since his younger days at West Ham – and he did not return from Toronto in January to go through a repeat scenario in 12 months time.

The 32-year-old said: “As players we want to do something that has never been done before in terms of a finish in the table, so that’s the aim here. That is down to a good pre-season and getting points early.

“Look at Southampton this season, they got points early and built on it after being told they could go down. We should be aiming to do that. If we can start brightly like Southampton did then that sets you up.”

The task of replacing Advocaat will be difficult for Short if he cannot convince the former Rangers and PSV Eindhoven boss to stay on beyond Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge.

A Sunderland side which was plunging fast towards the Championship was revived under his stewardship, losing just two of his eight games and an unbeaten five-game stretch ultimately preserved Premier League status.

Defoe said: “He has got us organised, with sharpness and intensity in our play. When you are out there you need to work hard for the team, he has brought that but when you are out there it can be so difficult for the team.

“It would be nice if he could stay, all the lads want him to stay. But it’s down to him and it will be his decision. If he does stay it will be nice for the football club.

“What impressed me with him is that we had a meeting before the Arsenal game. He was so relaxed and that rubs off on the players. He was really positive, relaxed even at this stage before such a huge and difficult game and that’s credit to him. His CV is unbelievable and if he stays he will be fantastic.”

The sight of Defoe effectively playing as a winger during Sunderland’s good run has been a surprise, but the mere fact such a predatory finisher has been willing to perform that role highlights the respect which exists for Advocaat.

Defoe, who was effectively part of the defensive unit that kept Arsenal at bay on Wednesday, said: “He did not even ask me to play left-back, but I felt like I might as well slot in there and keep my shape, be disciplined because the point was enough. Towards the end of the game it was nerve-racking. When the whistle went I was delighted.”

But Defoe does think the last couple of months bode well for the future, regardless of who is in charge. He said: “It has been difficult but it is a test of character what we have done. Hard work has paid off. We can look forward to next season. You don’t want to be fighting relegation every year.

“It’s not always easy to go to a place like Arsenal to get your rewards. Towards the end we could feel the tension. Everyone worked hard. But we still want to go into Sunday and finish strong at Chelsea, but it is nice to stay up because it has been difficult the previous results have been great.”