It’s not often you see a manager sign a number of players from the same club at the same time, and Roy Keane’s decision to pursue a number of Spurs rejects is a surprising one.

Great news if you’re Juande Ramos though. If the reports are right, he’s due to recoup £23million from a quartet of sales to the north east - not a bad figure to have when you’re trying to rebuild a squad with your own players.

I haven’t been convinced that Keane knows what he’s doing in the transfer market after last year. He spent £8m on Craig Gordon from Hearts last summer and, while he is a talented goalkeeper, he’s not worth that price tag, especially when you consider what Manchester United paid for Ben Foster and the future he will have.

Keane also had his fingers warmed with the signings of Michael Chopra from Cardiff and Kenwynne Jones from Southampton. He paid £5m for Chopra just a year after Cardiff paid a tenth of that, and his good season aside, he was overpriced. The Jones deal at £6m wasn’t as bad, as he is rated by several Premier League managers, but he had a disappointing second half of the season and is now out of action with a serious knee injury.

The new signings might actually do some good though. Despite being Spurs rejects, they’re a step up for Sunderland on the team they had last year and will be welcome additions on Wearside.

Teemu Tainio is the first to sign and, with his experience in the Premier League and internationally for Finland, he has a lot to offer Sunderland with his versatility in a midfield that struggled to cope with more experienced opposition.

Steed Malbranque is another who would add width and skill to the Black Cats midfield. He’s another experienced player, having spent eight seasons in the Premier League with Fulham and Spurs, and would be a great signing for Keane if he pulls it off.

Pascal Chimbonda was named in the Premier League Team of the Year back in 2005/06 and is a quality right-back, even if his loyalty is somewhat lacking and he can be a bit of a prima donna, but he will be an improvement on what Sunderland had last year and the fans will also welcome him.

It can’t be easy for Keane in attracting players to Sunderland. They have a great stadium and fantastic support, but came to the Premier League with a side who were distinctly less than average littered with players living on former glories in the form of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole and Ian Harte, and young Football players who at times looked as though they’d never played football before.

They did well to stay up last season and Keane should be thankful he shelled out that £8m on Gordon because without him they could easily have gone down. This season he will be able to attract players looking for a new challenge, players who are disillusioned with where they are now and can add something. It’s part of his master plan, and three or four players from the same team can be good for them. They’ve played together, know how each other plays and can bring help each other settle in.

He wants quality players, and knows he can’t get them yet, and if four Spurs players will spice things up a bit this season and push them further up the league, then he has even more to play with this time next year when he can compete to bring in players from Europe that might otherwise go to clubs around the top 10.

Spurs rejects aren’t enough for Keane though, he will have to bring in at least one top-quality striker from somewhere. He’s been linked with Darren Bent – and you won’t need me to tell you who he currently plays for – but there are better strikers out there than Bent if Keane looks further afield, cheaper ones at that.