Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn is confident of bigger success in the transfer market in the future.

Manager Roy Keane agreed fees for both David Nugent and Leighton Baines in his search for emerging talent, but saw both head elsewhere, and also made an inquiry about Tottenham's unsettled striker Jermain Defoe.

However, he is happy with the men to whom he did manage to sell his vision and is now desperate to repay the faith shown in him by Quinn and his Drumaville consortium.

It is little more than a year since they appointed Keane as Mick McCarthy's successor and handed him the task of reviving the fortunes of a club they firmly believe is a sleeping giant.

Their initial return was a remarkable charge to the Coca-Cola Championship title, but Keane's ambition extends far beyond that.

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Quinn said: "The consortium have been fantastic. They came in at a terrible time for the club, but a great time for an investor and were able to give it the boost it needed.

"Life in the Premiership is life in the fast lane. The consortium are aware of that now and the view is to help Roy as much as we can in establishing the club in the top flight.

"That's the brief of myself and the Drumaville Board, and Drumaville have stepped on the gas this year."