Premier League preview No15: Sunderland

Guardian writers' predicted position: 9th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)

Last season's position: 13th

Odds to win the league: 3,500-1

In some ways it has been a groundbreaking summer for Sunderland. A pioneering shirt sponsorship deal promoting "Invest in Africa" is intended to win over an entire continent of new supporters while a pre-season trip to a "Peace" tournament in South Korea was planned with an Asian fan base in mind.

While such global developments are exciting – not to mention vital to the club's long-term health – season ticket holders have become concerned by a distinct lack of transfer market activity. If the vast majority remain thrilled to have Martin O'Neill occupying the manager's office, they are increasingly eager for him to start spending the owner Ellis Short's money.

If there was far too great a "churn" factor under Steve Bruce – O'Neill's predecessor signed a staggering 30 players, including loans, during his two and a half years at Sunderland – the Stadium of Light's once constantly revolving door now appears to be in danger of jamming shut.

Although infinitely preferable to Bruce's rather scattergun approach to dealings, this somewhat cautious approach to O'Neill's first season in charge – so far only one first-team player has been recruited, the former Aston Villa defender Carlos Cuéllar on a free transfer – is provoking anxiety. Fanciful rumours that James Milner had checked into Seaham Hall hotel ahead of a medical were swiftly proved false, but welcome as the Manchester City midfielder's arrival might have been, the team's overriding requirement is goals.

With Asamoah Gyan having made his bizarre loan move to Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates permanent and Nicklas Bendtner returning to Arsenal at the conclusion of his stint, O'Neill's side are not only light in the attacking department but extremely short of an aerial threat up front.

This not only explains a series of underwhelming pre-season results – four defeats in six and only four goals scored – but the lengthy game of brinkmanship with Wolves over Steven Fletcher which has formed a backdrop to Sunderland's summer and now sees the Molineux board demanding £15m for their prize asset.

Granted the physically imposing centre forward has twice been relegated from the Premier League – with Burnley and Wolves – but Fletcher did score 12 Premier League goals for Mick McCarthy's struggling side last season, seven of them with his head.

At least the gifted Stéphane Sessègnon is still around – even if fans will, with justification, be fearful of a bid for the Benin forward or attacking midfielder right up until September dawns. Rumours that he may be exchanged for Tottenham's Jermain Defoe refuse to disappear.

O'Neill has recognised the need to ease the load on Sessègnon by increasing his side's creativity and fluency, and remains optimistic of adding some new faces. When it comes to selling the club to would-be players it can only help that an indoor practice area is finally scheduled to be ready for use at the training ground in October, thereby sparing players from the worst of the chill winds whipping in off the North Sea at the notoriously blustery weekday base in Cleadon.

O'Neill's managerial brilliance has often been reflected by his uncanny knack of welding players his peers might term ordinary into extraordinary units, but even the 60-year-old Northern Irishman might struggle to guide his current squad towards Europa League qualification.

That said, the addition of another two or three fresh faces could entirely change the complexion of a unit already boasting the old fashioned left-wing skills of James McClean, the set-piece accuracy of Sebastian Larsson, the left-footed midfield promise of Jack Colback, the bite of Lee Cattermole and the stellar goalkeeping of Simon Mignolet. Further forward, the arrival of a robust Fletcher-type figure to play off might permit the young striker Ryan Noble to prove to his manager that an unerring goalscoring knack (and the locally born Noble has been prolific at reserve level) can more than compensate for an apparently frail physique.

Defensively things should be bolstered by Cuéllar's arrival but much depends on whether Wes Brown can overcome his latest knee injury and somehow stay fit, and whether the talented yet sometimes still slapdash Titus Bramble surmounts his own injury worries before finally learning to master the art of concentration. With Michael Turner sold to Norwich, Matt Kilgallon, a centre-half frozen out by Bruce, should have a chance to establish himself but, like Brown, Bramble and John O'Shea, Kilgallon has a tendency to spend too much time on the treatment table.

Serious question marks concern the left-back spot, a position not occupied by a specialist for some time. Admittedly Phil Bardsley, a right-back, has exceeded the call of duty when occupying the role but with Bardsley currently injured and Kieran Richardson, who can fill in on the left of defence, seemingly heading for the departure gate, an expert reinforcement would be welcomed. The smart money is on Stephen Warnock arriving from Villa before September.

Whoever arrives and/or departs O'Neill – who, after taking over in December, dragged Sunderland out of a relegation battle, into the top 10 and to an FA Cup quarter-final before finally seeing the side slip, exhausted, into a disappointing 13th place – is determined to regularly fill the Stadium of Light to its 48,000 capacity.

"The potential is absolutely frightening," he says. "It's there and it would be lovely to do something about it. And I think now there is an added incentive, if not pressure, with Newcastle doing so well."

Both can only be increased by the knowledge that thanks to this summer's overseas initiatives, budding Mackems everywhere from Dakar to Dar es Salaam, and Seoul to Sierra Leone, will be tuning in to this season's Tyne-Wear derbies.

Regionally, nationally and internationally Sunderland aim to put themselves firmly back on the map. Significant challenges await but with O'Neill in charge few doubt they can be surmounted.