Sunderland’s dreams of returning to the Premier League see them high up the table.
They spent £155m in the summer on 14 new signings and their new-look squad has taken to the field.
Ski Sports News’ North East reporter Keith Downie reveals the secret to their early season success…
What is the recruiting and scouting setup like at the club?
Sunderland has a rather unique set-up. Kristjaan Speakman is the club’s sporting director, but he was joined this summer by Frenchman Florian Ghisolfi.
The 40-year-old has been given the title of ‘Director of Football’ and both are working in unison to not only help Sunderland return to the Premier League, but to sustain their return.
Speakman has done much of the hard work since joining the club, taking them back from League One oblivion to the promised land of the Premier League.
He played a major role in laying the foundations for a positive return to the top flight, after completely rebuilding the club’s football structure.
Like any other club, Sunderland have regional, national and international scouting setups, but they also rely heavily on data and analytics.
In addition, owner Cyril Louis-Dreyfus and manager Regis Le Bris have also played a big part in real teamwork this summer. The club are big believers in “what’s right, not who’s right.”
They have signed 14 Premier League players this summer. It’s not something one person can do.
Who led the transfer strategy in the summer?
Some of the early signings were on target months earlier – this was not a reactive window.
Speakman and his team put together two plans last season: one for staying in the Championship and the other for promotion.
Director of football Florent Ghisolfi (left) and sporting director Chrisjaan Speakman (right) alongside summer signing Brian Bobby (centre)
Once they triumphed 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 reached. Around £155 million was spent, not including extras.
The first of them – Enzo villa – was signed permanently after the final whistle at Wembley – due to the terms of his loan deal from Roma. So, before they could even say “we’re back”, they broke their own transfer record with the arrival of the £17m French midfielder whose influence, insiders tell me, was key to the promotion.
Ghisolfi then arrived from Roma and helped bring many reinforcements over the line. He officially started working at the beginning of July, but before that he was working in the background.
First signings (Habib diarrhea£27 million from Strasbourg and Noah Sadiki£14m from Union Saint Gilloise) was identified before Ghisolfi’s arrival, but the executive’s experience and position in the game helped bring in players such as Kshaka granite, Omar Alderete and Nordi Mukiele.
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka celebrates his team’s win at Chelsea
But even someone like Brian Brobbeywho arrived on deadline day, had been in talks with the club weeks before. He initially decided to stay at Ajax until he saw the model at Sunderland take shape and was aware of the caliber of players arriving on Wearside.
The thinking from Sunderland was experiential and physical. Sunderland added top-flight experience with the arrival of on-field leader Xhaka – he was the catalyst for many others to follow.
I was present when the 141-cap Swiss international skipper arrived on the owner’s luxury private jet back in 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 Ghisolfi’s origin and what makes it so good?
Ghisolfi first came to attention for the role he played as technical director at RC Lens, helping them to promotion to Ligue 1 and stay there. This led to a move to OGC Nice, before moving to Roma in Serie A.
He has developed a reputation for recruitment and his connections with European clubs and networks led to Sunderland coming.
Ghisolfi gained a reputation across Europe with his work at AS Roma and RC Lens
Sunderland’s 14 signings have been largely successful, which is unusual in the competitive Premier League where new players often need time to settle.
But the Frenchman’s workaholic style fits perfectly with the lifestyle and values at the heart of Sunderland.
I spent some time with him last week, where he revealed that he has basically been living between the training ground and the stadium since his arrival in the summer window.
He lives and breathes football, and it fits the ethos of the club as they return to the big time after an eight-year hiatus.
How could they spend so much money?
Sunderland have been stockpiling cash for a while, which made their promotion from the ultra-competitive Championship all the more impressive.
I like it Ross Stewart and Jack Clarke was recently sold for a total of £30m without the club spending much on replacements. The model was to bring in young players, develop them and sell them at a profit. It worked.
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Speaking over the summer, Jobe Bellingham has defended his decision to join Borussia Dortmund and insists he did it for himself and not to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
But what they achieved last year, with far from one of the highest wages in the league, was astonishing. And last summer, as they were promoted, they sold Job Bellingham and Tom Watson To Borussia Dortmund and Brighton for a combined £40m. The combined fees of those four players for a combined £70m is around half of what they spent this summer.
Sunderland fans were disappointed when Bellingham left for Dortmund after their play-off triumph, but he was replaced by three quality players: Xhaka, Diarra and Sadki.
Although Xhaka is nearing the end of his career, he was £13m rising to £17m and for me Diarra and Sadiki have the potential to reach higher levels in the coming years. The pair excelled in the early days of their Premier League career. In short, Sunderland bought well, but also sold well. And that is key in the world of PSR.
Who convinced Xhaka to join?
Granit Xhaka has impressed since arriving on Wearside
Branded by sources at the club as a “game changer”, everyone at senior level was involved. It was an ambitious move, but it seems to be paying off.
The transfer would not have happened without Dreyfus, who convinced his compatriot to make the move. He rolled out the red carpet in his luxury private jet and flew to pick him up on his way to Sunderland.
But in reality, Xhaka had unfinished business in the Premier League. The two-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal wanted one last shot at the big time, and turned down more lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia to move to Wearside instead.
Dreyfuss gave up to get his man and there was a “pinch me moment” for many at the club when Bayer Leverkusen, with whom Xhaka had won the Bundesliga just 12 months earlier, gave the green light to the move.
I was with Sunderland at their pre-season camp in Portugal and it was clear they needed a leader. Kshaka took that mantle and led him from the front. The players told me that they are afraid to make the wrong pass in training, for fear of letting Granit down.
Have Sunderland’s ambitions changed after a positive start?
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Chelsea v Sunderland in the Premier League
Le Bris constantly states that the goal this season is 40 points and survival, but a win against Everton on Monday Night Football will see them halfway to that goal after just 10 games.
No Sunderland fan, even in their wildest dreams, could have predicted that. Publicly they will say the goal is to stay awake, but privately they would be remiss not to look beyond that.
They quickly formed a team ethic on strong bonds and got a place to work. Each of the new signings has played a role so far, and it feels very much like everyone has bought into the ethos of the club. The way the club has done this so quickly must be commended.
There is a lot of football to be played and of course anything can happen, but having watched Sunderland at the Stadium of Light a few times in their unbeaten start at home, 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 active again in January and are in a strong position to do so, but will only add if they feel the player can join the squad. Sunderland are smart with their recruitment and will only add if they feel it’s the right player.
I think they may be a bit lighter on the wings and may feel that adding him there will give them more options in attack.
It will be difficult to manage the AFCON in December and January, with up to seven players temporarily leaving the club to go and represent their countries.
It could also have an impact on the January window, with short-term fixes seeing them through as a possibility.
But one thing is for sure, after a summer of fun watching a host of players arrive, Sunderland fans are looking forward to what the January transfer window will bring as much as their next match!