With Steve Bruce at the helm, the summer of 2011 was one of the busiest in Sunderland's recent history.
Having finished the previous Premier League campaign in 10th position, it seemed that Bruce was determined for the Black Cats to build upon their solid showing.
In an attempt to achieve that, he recruited a total of 11 players during the pre-season break, including defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea from his former club Manchester United, while the likes of Connor Wickham, Nicklas Bendtner and Ahmed Elmohamady also arrived at the Stadium of Light.
Two more players agreed to bolster Bruce's ranks even further four years ago today, namely Sebastian Larsson and Keiren Westwood.
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Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Westwood made the switch from Coventry City, where his contract was due to expire. Speaking about the 26-year-old, Bruce said: "Keiren has proven to be an exceptional goalkeeper both in the Championship and at international level and he has certainly been one of the best in this country outside of the Premier League in recent seasons.
"We are obviously delighted that Keiren sees his future here at Sunderland and we are looking forward to him joining what is a talented group of goalkeepers at the club."
As for Larsson, Bruce had previously worked alongside the Sweden international during his stint in charge of Birmingham. He signed the midfielder from Arsenal for £1m in 2007 and he went on to make 170 appearances for the Blues.
However, he failed to agree a new deal at St Andrew's, but despite interest from across Europe, he opted for a reunion with Bruce.
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"Seb was a fantastic young player for me at Birmingham and he has matured into a very good midfielder," added the Sunderland boss.
"He has been courted by a number of top clubs over the summer - both in England and across Europe - so we are naturally delighted that he has chosen to come to Sunderland."
Larsson remains at Sunderland to this day, having made 161 outings for the Wearsiders since his arrival, from which he has scored 14 goals in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Westwood struggled to establish himself during his three years with Sunderland and so in 2014, he moved back down to the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday.
Liam Apicella
