JOHN O’SHEA is confident Sam Allardyce will not mess around in the transfer market in a bid to ensure Sunderland are a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League next season.

Allardyce – expected to make a fresh move for Swansea City forward Andre Ayew after missing out on him in January - will be looking to make plenty of changes before the start of next season as he aims to make the Black Cats a more dangerous force in the Premier League.

Detailed discussions with Ellis Short are planned for this week to plot a way forward and the pair, who hope a new chief executive will be appointed sooner rather than later, are desperate to lift Sunderland away from their regular spot at the wrong end of the table.

Allardyce believes he is in a strong position to bargain when he seeks assurances from Short over having the financial clout on the transfer front, having added players in January who turned out to be crucial in the club’s climb to safety.

Experienced captain O’Shea, who has had to spend more time on the bench following Lamine Kone’s impressive form after his £5m move from Lorient, is convinced Allardyce knows what he wants.

The Irish defender said: “We added to the quality of the squad in January and hopefully the manager will get the chance to do that again.

“That will increase the competition and I've said throughout my whole career, that the quality only gets better with more competition.

“The January boys came in and settled in so quickly and had such an impact. I'll be hoping - and I'm sure the manager will be - that he can make an impact early on and get things done quickly.”

The arrivals of Kone, Wahbi Khazri, Jan Kirchhoff and Dame N’Doye added a different dimension to Sunderland for the final few months of the campaign.

That quartet, particularly the first three, played pivotal roles in keeping Sunderland in the Premier League after losing just one of their final 11 matches.

Sunderland ended unbeaten in six, winning three, and O’Shea believes there is something to build on – although he is wary of making predictions.

O’Shea said: “As we said, it was an amazing feeling again of how we've done it with a game to spare.

“But the key thing was the unity we showed within the group, when the pressure was on. We responded well with only one defeat in the last 11 games.

“There were some great performances, but that's what we usually do, leaving it late.

"The key thing now is the start of next season, from the minute we come back for pre-season.

“We hope it’s different, but there's no point in saying it again. We've got to do it. The proof will be in the pudding. We have to start the season better.”

By the time Sunderland return to training, O’Shea will hope to be with the Republic of Ireland at the European Championships. Martin O’Neill has included him in a provisional 35-man squad and will be a certain pick if he stays fit.

O’Shea said: “This is why you play for your country, to play in major tournaments. Hopefully we have a more enjoyable one than the last time.

“We're under no illusions, but with the way the format is this time, the big thing for us will be to get out of the group.”

And when the 35-year-old does return to Wearside he admits the focus will be on making sure Sunderland start well after failing to win a league game in August or September for the last three seasons.

O’Shea said: “When we've beaten Newcastle, we've had that similar atmosphere to what we have experienced in recent games, but we want it from the start of the season.

“That's up to us to give it to the fans and make sure we don't have two or three points after eight or nine games.”