Sunderland have all but guaranteed a play-off spot for themselves this season. For a while now they have sat in fourth, not troubling the runaway teams in Leeds United, Burnley and Sheffield United but sitting well above the play-off hunting pack behind. With this in mind, Sunderland have a strong possibility of promotion this season.
Whatever team of the 3 that does miss out on automatic promotion will have to lick their wounds and that could play into the Black Cats’ hands and with the other play-off spots not clear, it is hard to see a team that is so far off the points tally of Sunderland gaining promotion as there is no consistent side at the moment looking to book their spot in the top 6. If Sunderland do gain promotion, they may find it difficult to survive but as we are about to go through, they could surprise a few in the Premier League and survive in the top-flight.
Historical Factor
In Sunderland’s history, the club has spent 87 years in the top-flight including 16 seasons since the Premier League era begun in 1992. In fact, since the Premier League era the club has spent the most amount of seasons in the highest level of English football than any other league. This demonstrates that Sunderland is, on paper, well worth Premier League status.
Sunderland are one of the biggest clubs in the EFL currently, boasting the highest average attendance in the EFL this season with 40,268. This figure puts them ninth in England, sandwiched between Champions League quarter-finalists Aston Villa (41,958) and Europa Conference League favourites Chelsea (39,527).
The club has a rich history in top-flight football. The Black Cats have been champions of England 6 times in the past! Sunderland have also had many iconic footballers play in the red and white stripes over the years in the Premier League, none more so than Kevin Phillips who scored an astonishing 113 goals for the North-East side. He made all his 8 England international appearances while playing for Sunderland too.
Current Players and Personnel
Sunderland have an abundance of young and exciting players. You could possibly use this against the case of the side staying up in the Premier League for their ‘in-experience’ but this could help Sunderland stay up. Premier League clubs would struggle against the eager, youthful Black Cats. These young players will theoretically improve upon age which would create exciting times at the Stadium of Light. The two-time FA Cup winners have quality all over the pitch, the goalkeeper Anthony Patterson is still very young, especially for a man in between the sticks at just 24. Patterson is seen by most as one of the best number 1’s in the division. He has already accumulated over 140 first-team appearances for Sunderland. The shot stopper has 12 clean sheets this season in the Championship, the sixth most in the division.
Sunderland have arguably the best full-back pairing in the league with Dennis Cirkin (22) and Trai Hume (23). The two together have 4 goals and 9 assists for this season. Both players would be comfortable playing their football in the Premier League and with their age there is no doubt that they will both end up there very soon. Dom Ballard (25) is another defender who has enjoyed life at Sunderland. Although injury-struck this season, Ballard has looked strong yet again & his height poses a threat at both ends of the pitch.
Perhaps their strongest area of the pitch is the midfield. There are three players in particular who stand out, all of whom are still incredibly young yet playing at an incredibly level. Dan Neil (23) is an instrumental part of this Sunderland team. He is the man tasked to break up play and he certainly does that. He is one of the many players who has risen through the ranks at Sunderland.
Another player who has come through the academy and into the first team is young superstar Chris Rigg (17). Somehow at Chris Rigg’s age he has made 55 appearances for the first team. Rigg is one of the most exciting young prospects around in European football with his name floated around with many clubs in the Premier League. As a local lad he is a fan favourite who can easily staple his name in Sunderland history in the future as he will go to the very top.
The final midfielder we will talk about is Jobe Bellingham (19). A player who started his career off at his hometown club Birmingham City, Jobe moved to Sunderland in the summer of 2023. Since then, he has been influential in how Sunderland play. These 3 are players who have thrived at the club and under manager Regis Le Bris.
The final player that we will talk about is French forward Wilson Isidor (24). Isidor joined the club on loan in the summer from Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg. The move was made permanent after massively impressing during the first half of the season. A player that is only on loan at the club is Enzo Le Fee, this loan signing in the January transfer window shows how Sunderland as a club currently have a massive pulling factor. Sunderland is an appealing club to join now, the club is on the up.
As you can tell from the key players mentioned here, the club have an exciting future. If they can hold onto each one of those players, there feels like an inevitability that Sunderland will return to the Premier League. With the play-offs almost guaranteed, this season could be defining for the club for their ambitions to play Premier League football again. There is no reason why Sunderland cannot win promotion through the play-offs under Regis Le Bris. There is a feeling in the air that Sunderland will be back in the top-flight sooner rather than later.
