Keane justifies heavy spending

Sunderland manager Roy Keane insists he will not lose any sleep over his £35million summer spending spree.

The 36-year-old paid out another £9million last night as he added Southampton striker Kenwyne Jones and Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham, as well as free agent Ian Harte, to his list of captures.

Jones, at 6million, becomes the club's third biggest signing after £9million man Craig Gordon and Tore Andre Flo.

With Kieran Richardson and Michael Chopra both having commanded fees of £5million or above, the Premier League newcomers have proved one of the country's most prolific spenders.

Keane has repeatedly dismissed suggestions he may have persuaded chairman Niall Quinn and his Drumaville consortium to pay over the odds for some of his acquisitions, and while he admits gelling a team together may take time, he does not feel any pressure to justify his recruitment policy.

He said: "It doesn't feel like we have spent a lot, I have to say, because we have had to buy so many players.

"It would be different if we had bought a couple of players for £10million, £15million, £20million each and they were on £60,000, £70,000, £80,000 a week.

"We have had to buy a lot of players. The whole squad needed an overhaul.  But I don't feel under pressure on that side. The pressure is always there as a manager to try to be successful, but you have to be comfortable in terms of spending decent money.

"I don't lose any sleep about it, I am happy with the players we have brought into the club.

"There is never a guarantee, that's the beauty of it, there is never any guarantee and player will come in and settle in. Some won't, some will take longer than others, it is just trying to gel everyone together.

"But having said that, you are never guaranteed when a player comes to a club anyway.

"You look at the history of some players who have gone to clubs for lots and lots of money and it has not worked out; other clubs have gone for a bargain and they have turned out to be the best deal the club has ever done.

"That's the beauty of football, there are no guarantees with anything."

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn is to visit Clive Clarke in hospital tomorrow.   The Wicklow man, who suffered heart failure this week, is on loan at Leicester from the Black Cats.

Clarke is making progress in his recovery from a double heart failure after collapsing at half-time in Tuesday's Carling Cup clash at Nottingham Forest.

Keane said: "Niall is going down to see him tomorrow and I hope to speak to Clive later today.  Apparently, he is a very, very lucky lad.

"Obviously there was the incident with the lad from Sevilla over the weekend. The medical staff at Leicester have done a fantastic job and we are grateful for that."