SUNDERLAND’S chief executive Martin Bain believes Simon Wilson has the pedigree to help transform fortunes at the Stadium of Light during the longer term.

The Black Cats confirmed yesterday that Wilson will become the new chief football officer with the Wearside outfit on January 1 after spending the last ten years at Manchester City.

The 38-year-old, who started his career as a ProZone analyst with Preston during David Moyes’ days in charge, has had a key role to play at the Etihad Stadium.

And Bain is certain Wilson can help steer Sunderland into a brighter new era after spending the last few years battling to overcome growing debts having invested, largely, unwisely in the squad.

Bain said: “In Simon, we are bringing someone to the club who has a highly impressive track record of putting the building blocks in place in order to give clubs the best chance of achieving success.

“Harnessing his knowledge and experience in developing effective football infrastructures at the highest level, will give us a great platform from which to re-define our approach to the fundamental areas of the club such as scouting, recruitment, medical services, player pathways and youth development.

“Simon will play an important part in driving our re-building process, and helping us to achieve our aim of making the football club stronger in the future.”

Wilson was born in Peterborough and turned to football and science at Liverpool’s John Moore’s University after failing to make the grade as a professional during spells with Norwich and Peterborough United.

Moyes had him under his wing at Preston but Wilson moved onto Southampton in 2002 where he had stints as a performance analyst and head of performance analysis before heading to Manchester City in 2006.

He initially had a similar role at City before becoming their strategy and performance manager and that was when he had a responsibility for developing global scouting and recruitment. He was responsible for planning tours and also discussing managerial targets.

He has been the director of football services across the City Football Group for the last three years and now Bain and Moyes have lured him to Sunderland as the chief football officer.

Wilson will take on a number of the roles that former sporting director Lee Congerton used to oversee, although Sunderland are keen to stress Wilson’s arrival is not a return to such a strategy.

He said: “I am excited by the opportunity to join a club that is embarking on a journey of development and improvement. My role will be to ensure that we have the best practices, systems and people in place in order to give the club the best platform to achieve its goals.

“There is a great team of people at the club and I want to galvanise the good work that I know is already being done, in order to ensure we are doing everything we can to support the manager and chief executive in their aim of building a better football club.

“I worked with David Moyes many years ago at Preston, he is a highly experienced and respected manager and I am looking forward to linking up with him again, and working with the chief executive, both of whom share a common vison on how to take the club forward so we can give the fans and everyone associated with Sunderland a club and a team to be proud of.”

Moyes has already admitted he is desperate to make changes to his playing staff when the January transfer window opens in a bid to fight off the threat of relegation.

Together with Wilson and Bain over the next four weeks there will be plans put in place to try to tinker with a relatively squad which has Sunderland, although they may have to be creative in the transfer market.