Sunderland are high up the table following their dream return to the Premier League.
They spent £155m on 14 new signings in the summer and their new-look team is off to a good start.
Sky Sports News’ North East Reporter Keith Downie looks at the secrets to early season success.
What is the club’s recruitment and scouting setup?
Sunderland have a fairly unique set-up. Kristjaan Speakman is the club’s sporting director, but Frenchman Florian Ghisolfi joined this summer.
The 40-year-old has been given the title of “Director of Football” and both are working together to not only help Sunderland return to the Premier League but also maintain their return.
Speakman has put in a lot of hard work since joining the club, leading them from Ligue 1 oblivion back to the promised land of the Premier League.
He played a huge part in completely rebuilding the club’s football structure, laying the foundations for a positive return to the top flight.
Like other clubs, Sunderland have local, national and international scouting organizations, but rely heavily on data and analytics.
Additionally, owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus and coach Regis Le Bris also played a big part in the actual team effort this summer. The Club firmly believes in “what is right, not who is right”.
They have signed 14 players to sign with the Premier League this summer. That’s not something one person can do.
Who led the summer transfer strategy?
Some of the initial contracts were targeted months ago, but this was not a response window.
Speakman and his team had two plans last season: stay in the Championship and gain promotion.
Football director Florent Ghisolfi (left) and sporting director Krisjaan Speakman (right) with summer signing Brian Bobbey (centre).
Once they won at Wembley it was clear that they needed to invest in a first team to compete this season, but even I was surprised at the level they pushed themselves to. Excluding add-ons, around £155 million was spent.
The first of them – fairy enzo – As the final whistle blew at Wembley, the terms of his loan deal with Roma resulted in a permanent deal. So before they could say “we’re back”, they broke their transfer fee record with the £17m arrival of a French midfielder who insiders say was key to their promotion.
Gisolfi also arrived from Rome and helped bring in many recruits through the line. He officially started work in early July, but had been working on it in the background before then.
First contract (Habib diarrhea£27m from Strasbourg & Noah SadikiUnion Saint Gilloise’s £14m) was confirmed before Ghisolfi’s arrival, but the executive’s experience and presence in the game helped secure the player’s following. Granit Xhaka, Omar Alderete and Nordi Mukiele.
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka celebrates his team’s win against Chelsea.
But even if it’s the same person Brian Broveywho arrived on deadline day, had been in talks with the club for several weeks before then. He initially decided to stay at Ajax until he could see Sunderland’s model taking shape and know the caliber of players arriving on Wearside.
Experience and flesh were on Sunderland’s mind. Sunderland added to their best experience with the arrival of on-field leader Xhaka. He served as a catalyst for many others to follow.
I was there when the record-breaking 141-time Swiss international captain arrived on his owner’s luxury private jet last August. The sight of Xhaka landing on Wearside made it much easier to attract other big names to the North East in the weeks that followed.
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What is Gisolfi’s background and what makes him so good?
Gisolfi first came to attention as technical director at RC Lens for his role in helping the team gain promotion to Ligue 1 and stay there. This led to a move to OGC Nice and then to Roma in Serie A.
He developed a reputation in the field of recruitment and his connections with European clubs and networks led to Sunderland calling.
Ghisolfi gained fame across Europe for his work at AS Roma and RC Lens.
Sunderland’s signing of 14 players has been largely successful, which is unusual in the competitive Premier League, where new players often take time to adapt.
But the Frenchman’s workaholic style fits perfectly with Sunderland’s core values and lifestyle.
I spent some time with him last week, and he revealed that he has essentially been living between the training ground and the stadium since joining in the summer transfer window.
He lives and breathes football, which fits the spirit of a club that has achieved great success again after eight years.
How could they spend that much money?
Sunderland have been hoarding money for some time, which has made their promotion from the highly competitive Championship all the more impressive.
favorite thing ross stewart and jack clark He was sold for £30m over the recent window, with the club having no real money to shell out for a replacement. The model was to bring in young players, develop them, and sell them at a profit. It was working.
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In a summer speech, Jobe Bellingham defended his decision to join Borussia Dortmund, insisting he did so on his own rather than trying to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
But far from being the highest paid players in the Championship, what they achieved last year was astonishing. It was sold during a promotion last summer as well. Joby Bellingham and tom watson The combined transfer fee for Borussia Dortmund and Brighton is £40m. The combined fee of £70m for these four players is around half of what they spent this summer.
Sunderland fans were disappointed when Bellingham left for Dortmund after a play-off win, but he was replaced by three outstanding players in Xhaka, Diarra and Sadky.
Although Xhaka is approaching the end of his career he has risen from £13m to £17m and I think Diarra and Sadiki have the ability to reach even higher levels in the coming years. Both men put in outstanding performances early in their Premier League careers. Simply put, Sunderland bought well but sold well. This is the core of the PSR world.
Who convinced Xhaka to join?
Granit Xhaka has impressed since arriving on Wearside.
Everyone at senior level was involved, with club sources labeling it a “game changer”. This was an ambitious move, but it appears to have paid off significantly.
The transfer would not have happened without Dreyfus convincing his compatriot to do so. He flew out to pick him up en route to Sunderland, where he laid out the red carpet in his luxury private jet.
But in reality, Xhaka had unfinished business in the Premier League. The two-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal wanted one last chance and turned down a more lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, moving to Wearside instead.
Dreyfus did his best to land his man and there was a “pinch me moment” from many within the club when Bayer Leverkusen, who had won the Bundesliga title with Xhaka just 12 months earlier, approved the move.
I was with Sunderland at their pre-season camp in Portugal and it was clear they needed a leader. Xhaka took on that role and led from the front. Players said they were afraid of making bad passes during training for fear of disappointing Granit.
Have Sunderland’s ambitions changed since their positive start?
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WATCH FREE: Highlights of Chelsea vs Sunderland match in Premier League
Le Brice repeatedly stated that his goal was to score 40 points and survive this season, but he achieved victory against Everton. monday night football After just 10 games, we’ll be halfway to our goal.
No Sunderland fan would have dreamed of that. Publicly they will say that staying awake is the goal, but privately it would be remiss not to look beyond that.
They quickly formed a team ethic based on strong bonds and secured recruitment positions. Each new signing has done their part so far and it feels like they have all embraced the spirit of the club. The way the club has done this so quickly is to be applauded.
There’s a lot of football to be played and of course anything can happen, but having watched Sunderland start an unbeaten run at home several times at The Stadium of Light, I don’t think too many teams will go there and win this season.
What are Sunderland’s plans for January?
They plan to be back in action in January and are in a strong position to do so, but will only add players if they feel they can be added to the group. Sunderland are smart when it comes to signings and will only add players when they feel they are the right players.
I think they are a bit light on the side and you might feel that adding them there would give the attack more options.
AFCON will be difficult to get through in December and January with up to seven players temporarily leaving their clubs to represent their countries.
This could also have a knock-on effect in the January window, possibly confirming a near-term correction.
But one thing is for sure, after a great summer seeing so many players arrive, Sunderland fans are looking forward to what the January transfer window will bring just as much as the next game!
