Given the extraordinary feats of Regis Le Bris' plucky side over the past year, Sunderland's outlook going into this season is wildly different to last.
Ahead of 2025-26, everyone expected an inexperienced Black Cats side to be battling for survival after their Championship play-off triumph.
Instead, they produced one of the stories of the season, finishing seventh and immediately qualifying for the Europa League.
Can Regis Le Bris' men shock the world once more?
Le Bris blended the core that took Sunderland up with a series of ambitious signings, including Nordi Mukiele from PSG and Brian Brobbey from Ajax.
Granit Xhaka was arguably the Premier League's signing of the season, rocking up 12 months after a near-flawless campaign at Bayer Leverkusen to bring leadership and composure to the newly promoted side. Two more core additions, Noah Sadiki and Omar Alderete, were less heralded but no less impressive.
The Stadium of Light quickly became one of the league's most difficult away trips. Sunderland's own travels brought them wins over Chelsea, Everton and, most satisfyingly, neighbours Newcastle. Now comes the even trickier part. Sunderland are a surprise package no more.
The squad must balance domestic commitments with Thursday nights in Europe. We've seen how that schedule can cause growing clubs to crumble. Fans will rightly love every trip, but the club must keep its feet on the ground.
The Coach
Sunderland's appointment of Regis Le Bris in June 2024 appeared strange, given that he'd just been relegated from Ligue 1 with Lorient. It was a masterstroke: the ex-defender trusted youth to take the Black Cats back to the promised land, then to even greater heights.
Key Player
Enzo Le Fee's arrival in January 2025 caught the attention – six months after joining Roma for around £20m, he was moving on loan to the Championship. The midfielder quickly helped Sunderland to win promotion, then signed permanently and impressed again in the top tier.
Last Season's Results
PREMIER LEAGUE: 7th
FA CUP: Fifth Round
LEAGUE CUP: Second Round
Top Scorer
Brian Brobbey bagged seven goals in all competitions last season for Sunderland.
All seven came in the Premier League, and he added an assist to that haul in 31 appearances.
Lessons From Last Year
The kids are all right. Sunderland had the youngest average starting XI in their promotion campaign, then the second youngest (after Chelsea) in the Premier League.
That couldn't stop them dazzling, and Le Bris deserves huge credit for giving youngsters opportunities to play. Robin Roefs, Chemsdine Talbi, Chris Rigg, Habib Diarra and Eliezer Mayenda all found regular game time while under the age of 23. They rarely looked out of place.
Most Likely To...
Come out on top in the Tyne-Wear derby. For all of last term's heroics, beating Newcastle home and away was the sweetest achievement of all. Brobbey's late St James' Park winner to complete the double in March is a moment that travelling supporters will never forget – nor let their rivals forget.
Least Likely To...
Pay attention to the doubters. Few neutrals expected Sunderland to survive, let alone finish in the top seven. They became only the fifth newly promoted club to qualify for Europe through league position.
View From The Stands
Words by: MICHAEL POTTS @MichaelPotts_
Last season was a fairy tale. We were meant to go down without a trace, not end up in Europe for the first time in 53 years. There's a buzz around the place – the city is on a high and you can feel it.
This season will be different because last season was almost a free hit – now we've set the bar ridiculously high.
The big talking point is if we're prepared for the Thursday-Sunday routine. A reminder: we “weren't prepared for the Premier League” 12 months ago.
Our key player will be Enzo Le Fee. With goals, assists and graft, too, he's probably the most gifted footballer I've ever seen play in red and white. I'm enjoying him while I can.
Look out for 21-year-old midfielder Noah Sadiki, who joined us last year. The reason we're going back to the Moon is to find some ground he hasn't covered yet.
The opposition player who grinds my gears is Joelinton. He's the softest hard man you'll ever see on a football pitch.
Fans think our owner is the best thing to happen to our club in decades.
The one change I'd make at our club is to expand the Stadium of Light. We sell it out every week – people can't get season tickets – so it's time to go above 50,000.
I won't be happy unless we reach the Europa League knockouts. I'd accept a weaker league campaign to make the most of our shot.
We'll finish 12th, after a run to the Europa League final. Dare to dream, eh?
Fixtures
AUGUST
22 Ipswich (A)
29 Fulham (H)
SEPTEMBER
5 Brentford (A)
12 Arsenal (H)
19 Man City (A)
OCTOBER
10 Brighton (H)
17 Bournemouth (A)
24 Leeds (H)
31 Coventry (A)
NOVEMBER
7 Chelsea (H)
21 Aston Villa (A)
28 Tottenham (H)
DECEMBER
2 Liverpool (A)
5 Newcastle (A)
12 Nott'm Forest (H)
19 Crystal Palace (H)
26 Everton (A)
30 Man United (A)
JANUARY
2 Hull City (H)
6 Liverpool (H)
16 Chelsea (A)
23 Coventry (H)
30 Tottenham (A)
FEBRUARY
6 Aston Villa (H)
10 Hull City (A)
20 Everton (H)
27 Crystal Palace (A)
MARCH
3 Man United (H)
13 Brentford (H)
20 Arsenal (A)
APRIL
10 Ipswich (H)
17 Fulham (A)
24 Nott'm Forest (A)
MAY
1 Newcastle (H)
8 Brighton (A)
15 Bournemouth (H)
23 Leeds (A)
30 Man City (H)
Title Odds
Sunderland to win the Premier League title odds: 500/1
FFT Verdict
FourFourTwo verdict: Sunderland to finish 17th.
A leap from 12th to 7th in the final two games was a reward for bold transfers, even if xG tables (sorry) had them 18th. Pfft! Enjoy Europe and trust that the squad has the strength – if not depth – to survive.
This feature was written in June as part of FourFourTwo magazine's legendary Season Preview issue which can be ordered here.
