Guardian writers’ predicted position: 14th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) After finishing seventh last season, Sunderland go into the new campaign engaged in continental combat for the first time since a brief adventure in the old Cup Winners’ Cup in 1973-74. Will their startling upward trajectory under Régis Le Bris continue or will they succumb to the dreaded second-season syndrome? While many like to highlight Sunderland’s relegation-level XG statistics last season, it is important to note that a steadily improving squad lost six players to the Africa Cup of Nations in the winter.
Moreover, no key player has been sold this summer, team spirit is superb and pre-season performances have been reassuringly convincing. Le Bris accepts coping with Thursday night football will be a challenge for a club that played in League One as recently as 2022, but insists it is something to be enjoyed rather than feared. It helps that Sunderland still have their captain, Granit Xhaka, controlling midfield.
If Xhaka’s decision to recommit to life at the Stadium of Light despite serious interest from Chelsea lifted the pre-season mood, further optimism is provided by the presence of high-calibre individuals, including the fans’ favourite Enzo Le Fée, Chris Rigg, Robin Roefs, Noah Sadiki and Nordi Mukiele, in a versatile squad containing several players comfortable in assorted positions. Brian Brobbey is the sort of robust centre-forward few defenders enjoy marking. The son of the late former Marseille owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus has a 64%stake in the club while the remaining 36% is held by the Uruguayan businessman and politician Juan Sartori.
The strong relationship between Le Bris and the director of football, Florent Ghisolfi, has helped ensure on-pitch stability, although the past year has brought considerable off-field change, with several key executives replaced as Sunderland’s commercial strategy pivots in a more international direction. While the team toured the United States this summer, other marketing efforts have been concentrated on Africa, with a lucrative, and controversial, front-of-shirt sponsorship with Visit Ghana close to being finalised. More locally, the regeneration of the area adjacent to the Stadium of Light is transforming a post-industrial landscape.
If Louis-Dreyfus initially attracted a degree of suspicion and scepticism on taking the helm in 2021, he has earned the trust of the fanbase. Supporters were particularly impressed that the owner contacted Xhaka and convinced the Switzerland captain to join from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. Less positively, a creep towards increased corporate hospitality, allied to a divisive new club membership scheme, has polarised season-ticket holders.
Le Bris enjoys a spot of close-season surfing on the beaches of his native Brittany, so it is perhaps appropriate that the 50-year-old rode a footballing wave last season. His 2025 Championship playoff winners hit the Premier League ground running and proved they could last the course. Along the way, Le Bris parked his tanks on Newcastle’s front lawn by choreographing two league wins over their rivals.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
