Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn today promised Roy Keane a summer cash bonanza whether he wins promotion or not, after the Championship side announced a sponsorship deal with bookmaker Boylesports which could net the club overn £10 million over four years.

With Keane's side top of the table with just four games remaining, they are hot favourites to win a swift return to the Barclays Premiership. Quinn, however, will provide his manager with the money to improve his squad no matter where they end up, but there will be that bit more if it is the top flight.

"We have appointed a great manager, the player recruitment system he has introduced is working brilliantly, we have agreed a new bank deal which means we will not be giving all our money to the banks every year," Quinn said today. "We have a kit contract with Umbro which will be the envy of many football clubs, and here today we have another massive contract.

"It feels as though progress is in the air, but I will not be happy - I will never be happy, I do not think Roy will ever be happy - because to keep the momentum going, you have got to keep your eye on the ball and be prepared for every eventuality.

"That is why, if we are unfortunate enough to miss out this year, we have a massive injection to add to the team.

"The money from this deal, the money from the extra Sky parachute payment if we stay down, Drumaville will match the extra payment from Sky and we hope to have increased revenue next year in terms of the crowds.

"All that will go to Roy to improve the football team. That is me being a chairman ensuring Roy has all the structures he needs.

"If all goes well in the next four games and we manage to get into the Premiership the mindset is the same, but the figures will be different."

Boylesports succeed motor dealer Reg Vardy as sponsors after eight years and founder and managing director John Boyle has little doubt as to the club's potential.

"I would see Sunderland as Premiership winners, I would see them as Champions League winners," he boldly said today. "There is no end to success. When you have big goals and you have the right team, then it is easy because you are following a success formula that cannot fail."

However, as the excitement on Wearside reaches fever pitch, Quinn and Keane are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

"We know we have achieved nothing and the players are reminded of that every single day, every single training session," warned Keane. "As I said from day one, if I focused on my job, which was trying to get a winning team, then I knew the club could make progress in terms of sponsorship, getting revenue up from big attendances, and that is where we were aiming to go.

"But you have got to have hope in life and I hope the best days are yet to come for Sunderland."

Quinn and the Irish Drumaville consortium have created huge expectation in the city by engineering a remarkable turnaround in fortunes both on and off the pitch, but in contrast to his new sponsor the chairman admits there is a need to keep feet on the ground.

He said: "I just think 'realism' is the word I would look for in what we are trying to do.

"You cannot make airy-fairy promises and be like the fella trying to get you in to watch the circus and promise all sorts of things.

"We cannot do that, but what we can do is promise grit, determination, passion and money and we can give the club a chance again."