DICK ADVOCAAT will outline the continued need for attacking reinforcements when he discusses the remainder of Sunderland’s summer transfer business with owner Ellis Short later today.

The Black Cats have completed four signings since the end of last season – Sebastian Coates, Adam Matthews, Jeremain Lens and Younes Kaboul – with the majority of the club’s efforts to this point having been focused on defensive additions.

Attention will now switch to the opposite end of the field, with Advocaat still hoping to sign a creative midfielder and a centre-forward before the transfer window closes at the start of September.

The Black Cats were linked with a possible move for Tottenham midfielder Moussa Dembele over the weekend, and Advocaat admits he will be pushing Short to make the attacking additions that were initially discussed when the head coach agreed to reverse his decision to leave Wearside at the start of the summer.

“We have to speak with the chairman on Monday,” said Advocaat. “I’ve discussed it with him before about what is possible and what is not possible, but we will talk again. In that way, we have to be realistic. I hope that we can still do something – if not, okay.

“We have to be realistic, and I’m very happy with the president and what he’s done so far. We’ve brought in four good players.

“We know we cannot buy the most expensive players, but we’ve brought some good players. Coates did really well in the last part of the season, Kaboul is a winner and we need that as well. And Lens can play left, right, up front, go past players and score goals.”

Lens was one of five players to link up with Sunderland’s squad in North America over the weekend, and the Dutchman is confident he will have no problems adapting to English football as he prepares to make his first appearance for the club in Wednesday evening’s final tour game against Toronto FC.

Sunderland suffered a second successive pre-season defeat in the early hours of Saturday morning as they lost 3-1 to Mexican side Club Pachuca in Sacramento.

Advocaat’s side have subsequently travelled to Canada, and have been greeted by a host of players who missed the club’s opening two games in North America.

Coates, Patrick van Aanholt and Adam Johnson have flown out to Toronto, along with Lens and Kaboul, both of whom signed for Sunderland last week.

The duo are both expected to be involved in this week’s game, with Lens determined to hit the ground running when the real business begins in the middle of next month.

“I’ve played in Ukraine for the last two years, which was the first time I moved out of Holland, and I think it went very well,” said Lens. “So, for me, there is no problem about adapting to England.

“It is important that I also get to meet my new team-mates ahead of the new season, and I will try to adapt as fast as possible. For me, it is going to be the start of a dream, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Sunderland opened the scoring in Saturday’s friendly through Jack Rodwell, but quickly fell behind as Ariel Nahuelpan scored a quick-fire double.

Hirving Lozano claimed a third Pachuca goal, with Jordan Pickford saving Ruben Botla’s penalty to prevent the Black Cats’ defeat being worse.

Sunderland: Pickford; Matthews, O’Shea, Brown, Jones; Rodwell, Cattermole, Giaccherini (Larsson 46); Wickham (Watmore 66), Fletcher (Graham 66), Defoe.