SAM ALLARDYCE will sit down with Sunderland’s owner Ellis Short next week in a bid to come up with a summer attack plan to avoid another relegation fight next season.

Allardyce and his players were still celebrating this morning after a memorable Wednesday night when a 3-0 victory over Everton at the Stadium of Light secured top-flight status for a tenth successive season.

Having successfully guided Sunderland clear of safety in his seven months in charge he is now focused on trying to ensure Wearside does not have to endure a similar battle next time around.

The new TV rights deal mean that there is more money than ever flying around in the Premier League next season so Allardyce hopes to have a sizeable slice of that for the summer transfer window.

He said: “My meeting with Ellis next week will be our time to reflect on next season and to set out a lot of where we are going to go and how we will do it.

“At the end of that conversation we will determine a way forward for Sunderland Football Club, hopefully it will be a more successful way forward than last few years.”

Before that he will have spoken to a number of players about next season, so that after the final day trip to Watford on Sunday there is no uncertainty hanging over the players’ heads.

The loan deals of Yann M’Vila, DeAndre Yedlin and Dame N’Doye are all up while the likes of Seb Larsson, Wes Brown, Danny Graham and Steven Fletcher are all set to become free agents.

Allardyce said: “I will have conversations before the Watford game. I don’t think there’s any point in leaving players hanging. That’s one of the jobs I have to get through pretty quickly. It is worth talking to them if we are taking them forward with us in the next couple of days.

“What are we doing with those we already have? Whether they are on loan or under contract whether they are not happy about not having as much game time as they wanted. We will see. I will have the conversations with those individuals.”

Allardyce celebrated with a drink last night to taste Premier League survival, while Sunderland fans took greater regional satisfaction in knowing that the result also sent Newcastle down.

But the 61-year-old, who was sacked by the Magpies’ owner Mike Ashley in 2008, would rather the Tyneside club had stayed up.

He said: “Not at all (happy Newcastle went down). The past is the past. It’s written in the history, you can look back if you want, but I rarely look back.

“Can I make the future better? Can I make my life better than it is? It is a massive ask to do that because since the day I left school I have been blessed to be involved in football at this level to this age. I have been very blessed in life and I will try to make it better next year.”