Sunderland's dream return to the Premier League sees them riding high in the table.

They spent £155m in the summer on 14 new signings, and their new-look team has hit the ground running.

Sky Sports News' north east reporter Keith Downie takes a look at the secret behind their early-season success...

What's the recruitment and scouting set-up at the club?

Sunderland have a fairly unique set-up. Kristjaan Speakman is the club's sporting director, but was joined this summer by Frenchman Florian Ghisolfi.

The 40-year-old has been given the title "director of football", and both men are working in alignment to not just help Sunderland back to the Premier League, but to sustain their return.

Speakman has done much of the hard work since joining the club, leading them back from League One oblivion to the promised land of the Premier League.

He has played a big part in putting the foundations in place for a positive return to the top flight, having completely rebuilt the club's footballing structure.

Like any other club, Sunderland have regional, national and international scouting set-ups, but they also rely heavily on data and analytics.

Additionally, owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus and manager Regis Le Bris have also played a big...