Nedum Onuoha insists Darren Bent's departure for Aston Villa did not unsettle the Sunderland dressing room.
The Black Cats responded to the shock sale with victory over Blackpool.
"Last week wasn't very difficult for the players, to be honest," Onuoha on loan from Manchester City, told The Journal.
"Players come and go from football clubs all the time. We've seen it happen before and we knew the most important thing was the game at Blackpool.
"We did all the preparations like we usually do. Unfortunately, you just have to move on.
"As disappointing as it is to lose someone, you know there'll soon be someone else coming in from another club."