Former Sunderland chief Roberto de Fanti stands by his record at the club.

De Fanti insists he has no regrets over taking the job.

"It was an important experience, both personally and professionally," De Fanti told TuttoMercatoWeb.com. "And the results obtained from the club last season make me proud, thinking also that the Sunderland spent less than others throughout the Premier League.

"At the operational level, the sporting director is a figure who English football knows little about and are struggling to frame. That of a ds is seen as a role that tends to invade partially the skills of CEO and Manager and is not perceived as an asset available to both.

"But something is changing in this sector. Suffice to say that for the first time a club in the Championship, ie Brentford, said already in February that from next season it will adopt the continental model, acquiring a head coach (coach) and ds."