Guardian writers’ predicted position: 19th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 4th in the Championship
Prospects
Spending heavily is no guarantee of Premier League survival – just ask Ipswich – but promoted Sunderland appear to have invested pretty shrewdly – spending about £132m on their 11 signings to date.
The all-important central midfield department contains real ability in the shape of the gifted Enzo Le Fée, whose loan from Roma has turned into a formal transfer, the Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen old boy Granit Xhaka and the highly rated £30m Senegal and former Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra. The experienced left-back Reinildo played Champions League football for Atlético Madrid last season and the Chelsea loanee striker Marc Guiu comes highly recommended.
Even so last season’s star, Jobe Bellingham, now at Borussia Dortmund, will be missed and the manager, Régis Le Bris, faces quite a challenge in blending so many newcomers into a cohesive unit. The left-sided Paraguay central defender Omar Alderete – who finalised his £10.4m move from Getafe on Tuesday morning – looks a smart addition, but disappointing pre-season results reflect a squad who possibly still barely recognise each other if they pass on the street.
If Sunderland are not quite copying Nottingham Forest, who spent £142m on 21 players after being promoted in 2022, they would be very happy to emulate Forest and ensure Premier League survival before starting to thrive. Re-establishing themselves in the top tier after an eight-year absence will be tough but the club are certainly throwing everything at the challenge. Stadium of Light regulars will hope first-team roles are found for much-loved players of last season’s promotion including the striker Wilson Isidor and, above all, the talented local-born midfielder Chris Rigg. Harmony off the pitch and unity on it were formidably strong last term; can that glorious spirit be recreated at a time when a series of playoff winners seem set for the exit or the bench?
The manager
The 49-year-old Le Bris ended his first season on Wearside by choreographing Sunderland’s dramatic Wembley triumph against Sheffield United in May’s playoff final. A former Rennes and Laval defender, the Frenchman holds a doctorate in physiology and biomechanics and a diploma in the mental training of elite athletes. He spent a decade as a youth coach at Lorient in his native Brittany before taking charge of the first team in 2022, with his love of trigonometry underpinning a coaching philosophy that sees football as being all about triangles. Le Bris began learning English, almost from scratch, the same year. He has just signed a lucrative, long-term contract.
Off-field picture
Sunderland are owned by the 27-year-old Swiss-French businessman, and trust fund billionaire, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. He has presided over a strategy of recruiting gifted, if raw, young players from across the world. The successful implementation has been masterminded by the sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman. The latter has been joined this summer by the former Nice and Roma sporting director Florent Ghisolfi, who has assumed the same role and has been restocking the squad. The club’s gradual gentrification continues with the Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks opening a decidedly upmarket restaurant, Banks on the Wear, at the 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light.
Star signing
The much decorated Xhaka, the 32-year-old Switzerland captain and former Arsenal central midfielder, has joined for a fee that could reach £17m after a successful stint at Bayer Leverkusen. “I feel I’m ready to help Sunderland with my experience but also with quality as well,” he said. His recruitment constitutes quite a statement because it is a significant deviation from the board’s policy of acquiring promising youngsters with high resale potential. The intensity of Xhaka’s tempo-setting game should appeal to fans and the raucous Stadium of Light looks a perfect stage for his well-calibrated passing range and committed brand of leadership.
Stepping up
After scoring six goals (all in the Conference League) in 16 first-team appearances for Chelsea Guiu arrives on a season’s loan. The talk in west London is that the former Barcelona forward could prove as good as Cole Palmer and Sunderland fought off considerable opposition to borrow the 19-year-old for a season. “I see myself as a powerful striker who can make a big difference on and off the ball,” he said. “I pride myself on being a natural goalscorer. This year at Sunderland is a huge opportunity for me.”
