SAM ALLARDYCE does not want to go through another nail-biting relegation fight as Sunderland manager and is seeking assurances from owner Ellis Short that he has the financial backing to make sure there is no repeat.

Short gave his manager the backing to be creative in the transfer market in January when he offloaded the likes of Steven Fletcher and Danny Graham while paying almost £15m on Wahbi Khazri, Lamine Kone, Jan Kirchhoff and Dame N’Doye.

Only N’Doye, on loan from Trabzonspor, of that quartet will not be at the Stadium of Light next season and the permanent signings have all had a crucial role to play in keeping Sunderland in the Premier League.

That should strengthen Allardyce’s hand when he sits down with Short next week to discuss a plan of action for the close season as the former West Ham boss looks to improve a squad showing positive signs under him.

Asked if there is any chance he will not be at Sunderland next season, Allardyce said: “I will not know until we have that conversation. As a manager, you never get what you want. Not really because you always ask for the ultimate.

“You go in with all guns blazing saying what it would look like if it looked like this. In between there, you come to an agreement. What you want and what you get … The most important thing for me is recruiting the players which will help the club get better.

“What we have to do is get the best value for money we can. The great pleasure for me is we recruited very well in January. That gives Ellis some confidence in going forward, that we recruit in the same way we did in January.”

Sunderland will be armed with an increase in cash after staying up in the season when prize money is on the increase because of the new broadcasting rights deal.

Allardyce’s arrival coincided with the scrapping of the director of football model, which proved unsuccessful when Roberto de Fanti worked alongside Paolo di Canio and then again when Lee Congerton was with Gus Poyet.

But Sunderland are not in the best shape for signing new players at this stage following the departures of both Congerton and former chief executive Margaret Byrne.

“Ellis has been searching for something different for so many years and has not found it,” said Allardyce. “That’s why there has been so many changes and those changes haven’t solved the problem. Hopefully I can.

“It’s a very big decision for Ellis and, for me, to get the right chief executive in. I would hope they have a huge amount of football experience. And by that I mean working in football, not just in transfers. Having experience of how this business works at the highest level. That would be a great help to making this club more successful.”

Whoever is installed as Byrne’s replacement will at least have a good base to work from after Allardyce’s magic worked in keeping Sunderland up.

The scenes at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night after a 3-0 win over Everton secured top-flight status – at Newcastle’s expense – will be forever remembered on Wearside, but finishing 17th year on year is not what drives Big Sam on.

He said: “The celebrations were fantastic but not the celebrations we want in the future. We want to move away from the fact we’re all so happy at being heroes for surviving. We have to think much bigger and have much more ambition.

“An established Premier League club has been in the division for nine seasons. Well we’ve avoided relegation four times on the trot and have to make sure it doesn’t get to that level again.

“We have the basis of a squad with Premier League experience now and it will be much easier from next season. We will start with greater optimism and even the new lads (from January) will start afresh with a better idea of what it is about. The next level of recruitment will be critical to us struggling or not.

“I wouldn’t want to go through what I went through when I first got here again.”

Sunderland head for Watford on Sunday and Allardyce, planning to field a number of youngsters in the squad like George Honeyman and Jordan Pickford, is relieved there is nothing riding on it.

Before the trip to Vicarage Road he will have spoken to a number of players about next season. 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.”