What is Roy Keane doing?

I think beyond a doubt, the most intriguing club to watch this summer has been Sunderland. The Black Cats have splashed the cash, bringing new blood into a side that flirted with relegation for most of last season.

But just a minute ... who has Roy Keane really signed? What's his game?

Keane has brought in Steed Malbranque, Pascal Chimbonda, El-Hadji Diouf and Teemu Tainio over the past couple of weeks to bolster his side. Apart from the fact that three of these newcomers arrived from Tottenham, the have something else in common: none of them have really managed to accomplish anything of any importance during their time in the Premier League.

I admit that Malbranque is a talented player and he will likely stand out at Sunderland, simply because he is of a higher class than the rest of the side. Tainio will add depth to the centre of midfield alongside Dickson Etuhu and Dwight Yorke. Chimbonda will easily become the first choice right back, but this isn't saying much.

The enigmatic Diouf could do well alongside Kenwyne Jones, but the Senegalese striker has failed to impress alongside other target men in his career, like Emile Heskey and Kevin Davies, despite having a decent amount of raw talent.

According to various reports, Keane is also looking to add veteran Celtic centre back Bobo Balde, who is available on a free transfer. Sunderland would have to match his weekly wage of £30,000 paid to him by Celtic in order to coax him south of the border.

So far as I can tell, Keane is shaping up to be a fine manager, pulling Sunderland back from the depths of the League Championship two seasons ago and eventually coaxing something resembling form out of his side during the second half of last season.

But what does he expect to accomplish with the motley crew he's assembled? Tenth? With an estimated £23 million paid for the three players from Tottenham alone, surely for that kind of cash Keane could have found better talent.

What is apparent from Keane's transfer dealings this summer is Sunderland have nothing approaching a continental scouting system. The manager may be more comfortable spending on players he's familiar with, but as a boss like Arsenal's Arsene Wenger would tell him, the best deals are found outside the Premier League. These players are the one's teams like Sunderland need to target.

I realize Keane may have trouble drawing top talent to the northeast and it is vitally important to improve on last season's 15th place finish, but if there's that much money floating around the Stadium of Light, there's got to be a more effective use of it.