O'Neill keen for more after Cuellar arrival (From Durham Times)

O'Neill keen for more after Cuellar arrival

8:00am Tuesday 3rd July 2012 in Sport By Paul Fraser, Chief Football Writer

MARTIN O'NEILL is in no rush to make further additions to his Sunderland squad after making Carlos Cuellar the first permanent signing of his reign on Wearside.

O'Neill is actively looking at the market in the hope of further bolstering his Black Cats squad but sources close to the club insist there are no deals close to being concluded.

But after landing Cuellar as a free agent after his release from Aston Villa there will now be a focus on strengthening the areas of the squad the Northern Irishman thinks needs it.

Increasing his attacking options and bringing in at least one new midfielder is high in his sights, but in Cuellar he thinks a number of areas have been covered.

The 30-year-old prefers to play centre-back but is more than capable of performing competently as a full-back on either flank. Such versatility has impressed O'Neill in the past and was a key reason why he has been targeted once more.

The Sunderland boss signed the Spaniard from Rangers for £8m in 2008 when he was in charge at Aston Villa. Now he will be turning to him again in the hope of turning Sunderland in to a Premier League top ten force.

Cuellar said: "Ever since I heard the rumour Sunderland were interested in signing me, I wanted to come here.

"To work again with the gaffer and with everyone talking so well about the club I didn't have any problem and said straight away I wanted to come.

"He is so clever, he knows everyone very well and knows how to push everyone to get 100 per cent out of them. He gets the best from every player and bring them together to make his teams very competitive."

Cuellar, who has signed a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light, also had options to return to Spain. Another opportunity to play in the Premier League, however, proved too appealing.

"Everyone has told me the atmosphere in the stadium is unbelievable and I know this from playing against Sunderland in the past," he said.

"It is very important to feel that support when you are playing. I am the happiest man to be here, to work and try to show my skills and quality. We are going to be a hard team to beat. We have good players with quality and can compete with everyone in the league."