Sunderland manager Chris Coleman is preparing for life in League One by planning a major clearout, as per the Sun, with high earning players such as Didier Ndong, Lamine Kone and Aiden McGeady the primary targets.

High-earners have long since been a problem at the Stadium of Light and there has been an intense need for a purge for quite some time now.

What's the story, then?

Coleman's Black Cats managed a draw against Leeds United on Saturday but their tally of 32 points leaves them 23rd in the Championship and seven points away from safety.

That means that the former Wales manager has reportedly got one eye on preparing for life in the third tier and there is a burning need to cut costs.

The report states that Sunderland's wage bill would be betweeen £50m and £60m in League One if they didn't take drastic action and that would be the highest total the division has ever seen.

Sunderland needed to be this decisive years ago

Sunderland have a squad of players assembled under a variety of managers, designed for multiple styles of play and of course littered with players who signed up for a Premier League contract but don't care for life at the club or in their current division.

That deadwood has needed cutting for years and years and maybe if such serious action had been taken when the side were still in the top flight, it might have been enough to save them from their current desperate plight.

It is tough when players are on such lucrative contracts but a cull was needed earlier. It is to Coleman's credit that he is doing it now and not looking to jump ship with the prospect of starting next season in the third tier becoming all the more real.

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