In 2018, Sunderland looked to be a club in turmoil as back-to-back relegations ensured that they were in League One for the first time in 30 years.
Fast forward to 2025, however, and the Black Cats have eradicated those memories as they return to the Premier League, but which fresh faces will help them in their top-flight challenge?
The New Arrivals
Under the guidance of young owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and manager Regis Le-Bris, Sunderland have often looked to younger players to provide their success, and this has predominantly continued so far this window.
After securing the permanent signing of Enzo Le Fee from AS Roma, the Black Cats added Habib Diarra from Strasbourg for a club record fee, Chemsdine Talbi from Club Brugge and Noah Sadiki from Union Saint-Gilloise.
In addition to this, the Black Cats have added experience in the form of ex-Atletico Madrid left-back Reinildo Mandava. Furthermore, they have secured the arrival of Ivory Coast international Simon Adingra from Brighton.
The Positives
Both Talbi and Sadiki are highly rated in the Belgian Pro League and both are young, indicating that they have room to grow as players and may be with the Black Cats for the long term, with potential for significant profit when they are sold.
Reinildo Mandava brings experience of European competition to Sunderland. Mandava has made 31 appearances overall in the Champions League under the guise of manager Diego Simeone.
Simoene is a manager that many will know for his desire to instil passion and fight into players, a characteristic that will be useful for Mandava in his fight with Sunderland.
Simon Adingra has shown flair for Brighton in his appearances with them, having already attacked the Premier League with his pace and trickery.
Many Brighton fans praise the quality of Adingra. However, note that he will perform well elsewhere as Kauro Mitoma will prohibit his game time with the Seagulls.
Enzo Le Fee was regarded as a significant coup when he joined the Black Cats on loan in January.
Although he wasn’t able to contribute to the side significantly with goals and assists in that period, his quality was regarded as higher than the Championship and should be utilised in the Premier League.
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Points to Note
When comparing Sunderland’s transfer activity to those that have been promoted in the past, there is a notable lack of Premier League experience within their ranks.
Many have regarded that to be highly useful in the challenge to stay in the top flight, and this is something Sunderland may look to rectify in the rest of the transfer window.
Furthermore, the players that have joined the club are predominantly African.
Therefore, when AFCON kicks off in December, Sunderland may have a notable number of absentees from their squad.
This may damage their team’s progress with regard to the whole season. However, it remains to be seen if this will be one aspect that damages them enough to secure their return to the Championship.
Conclusion
Sunderland continue to look to young players to provide their success, indicating a clear plan under their ownership.
This is an exciting plan, one that has sparked the interest of many other Premier League fans.
However, it comes with several unknowns that will need to be monitored as the season progresses.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / PA Images
Recording Date: 26.11.2024