Sunderland have returned to the Premier League for the primary time since 2016-17, they usually’ll be hoping to buck the pattern of promoted sides heading straight again down.
Within the final two seasons, the promoted Championship sides have gone straight again to the place they got here from.
Sunderland will want some signings to make sure they’ve an opportunity of remaining within the prime flight.
Right here, we now have used switch rumours and the membership’s stars from final season to construct the Black Cats’ dream XI for the 2025-26 marketing campaign.
GK: Anthony Patterson
Sunderland’s No.1 for the previous three seasons, 25-year-old Patterson has maintained a superb stage, with 14, 12 after which 14 clear sheets once more throughout these campaigns.
If he can present that he’s worthy of preserving his place on the greater stage, he may effectively be in for an ideal profession within the prime flight.
RB: Trai Hume
Solely three gamers featured extra typically final season for Sunderland than 23-year-old Hume, and he appears a shoo-in to keep up his right-back function.
He scored three targets and assisted six extra in what felt like a breakout season, and he’ll take that confidence into his first Premier League marketing campaign.
CB: Luke O’Nien
There are few extra deserving gamers of a Premier League season than O’Nien, who was there when Sunderland have been struggling to flee League One, and remains to be round now they’ve returned to the highest flight.
O’Nien has put his coronary heart and soul into greater than 300 video games for the Black Cats, in a wide range of positions, and at centre-back final season, the 30-year-old scored three targets and assisted one.
He’s persistently within the facet, lacking only one league recreation final season and taking part in 90 minutes in all however three others, so he might effectively proceed to be the rock of his facet within the Premier League.
CB: Wilfried Singo
Dan Ballard has struggled with harm issues of late and Chris Mepham has returned to Bournemouth. Now at the next stage, Sunderland will wish to guarantee they aren’t caught brief with a scarcity of depth.
Our pals at TEAMtalk have recommended that Regis Le Bris has recognized Monaco centre-back Singo as a goal, in a possible £15million switch.
Singo might conceivably play as a centre-back, right-back or proper midfielder, although he performed nearly all of his soccer final season on the coronary heart of defence, which included six Champions League video games, through which he scored twice and assisted as soon as.
LB: Dennis Cirkin
Over at TEAMtalk, they’ve additionally reported that Sunderland are within the race to signal Mozambique worldwide Reinildo Mandava.
The 31-year-old, who has simply performed in his fourth season for Atleti, may effectively be a good asset for the Black Cats, after north of 100 video games for the LaLiga giants.
Nevertheless it feels unfair for him to displace Cirkin as a starter, after he scored three targets and assisted three extra final season, following 5 targets and one help the season prior.
RM: Kwame Poku
An earlier draft of this piece featured former mortgage hero Amad Diallo.
There are stories that the Black Cats are eager to take the Ivorian again to Wearside (we’re certain they’re), however even in a dream situation we simply can’t see that one occurring.
Even when Manchester United signal Bryan Mbeumo and he will get pushed down the pecking order, a return to Sunderland is definitely all however not possible.
Poku seems like a extra practical goal. The Peterborough winger is predicted to go away and play at the next stage.
He might be a canny pick-up, however you think about Le Bris would favour a bit extra ready-made star energy for his first XI.
CM: Jordan Henderson
A return to Sunderland for former academy star Henderson can be excellent for the membership now. The midfielder has gone on to large issues, lifting the Premier League and Champions League as captain of Liverpool.
Henderson has made a few strikes since then, although, suggesting he’s not discovered himself too settled to have the ability to depart one other membership.
It might certainly be an enormous draw, after the whole lot he’s achieved, to return to his boyhood membership on their return to the Premier League and assist them to stave off the drop, taking the place of Jobe Bellingham, who’d certainly have been an ideal asset at that stage had Borussia Dortmund not snapped him up.
Hyperlinks have certainly emerged on Henderson’s potential return to Sunderland, and followers will hope it occurs.
That signing might assist 18-year-old Chris Rigg no finish, because the prodigiously gifted teen might discover ways to play within the Premier League from 35-year-old Henderson, earlier than doubtlessly taking his place as a starter quickly sufficient.
CM: Dan Neil
No one performed extra typically than Sunderland captain Neil final season, with the 23-year-old midfielder an important asset by means of 48 video games in all competitions.
He scored two targets and assisted three extra within the Championship, and led his facet exceptionally as they reached the Premier League.
Linked with some greater golf equipment, the Black Cats will know the significance of preserving their younger captain, who might go to the subsequent stage of his recreation with them if he stays.
LM: Enzo Le Payment
It was an enormous snare for Sunderland after they obtained Roma midfielder Le Payment by means of the door on mortgage in January, with an obligation to purchase him for simply over £19million in the summertime.
Le Payment can play wherever within the midfield, however has largely featured on the left flank for the Black Cats.
The Frenchman had one aim and one help to his title within the common season, however confirmed his significance much more so within the playoffs, with an help in every leg of the playoff semi-finals victory towards Coventry.
His talent and flexibility may effectively be a distinction maker for Sunderland within the Premier League.
ST: Wilson Isidor
A everlasting signing firstly of 2025 after a mortgage from Zenit St Petersburg, Isidor is clearly firmly in Sunderland’s future plans.
The 24-year-old striker scored 13 targets and assisted two extra within the Championship and the playoffs final time period, and will likely be seeking to maintain discovering the online within the Premier League.
ST: Jamie Vardy
Whereas the validity of the stories might be questioned with regard to Sunderland’s curiosity in Vardy, certainly no newly-promoted Premier League facet would say no to the signing of a person with 145 Premier League targets to his title.
At 38 years of age, Vardy scored 9 targets and assisted 4 final season, and has beforehand proven he’s able to thriving in a facet who don’t have a lot anticipated of them.
The king sh*thouse bringing the chaos in a Tyne-Put on derby? Sure please.
An alternate striker signing who Sunderland are stated to be main the race for is Vladyslav Vanat, the Dynamo Kyiv ahead who bagged 21 targets in all competitions final time period, together with two in Champions League qualifying.
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