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I always love the launch of Sunderland’s new kits, as to see the new strip tends to bring home the reality that the new season is fast approaching.
However, with the launch of the kit, my thoughts always turn to who’ll actually be wearing it on the pitch for the first game of the season.
It’s always been a concern as in the past, as Sunderland’s transfer business has often seen us linked with so many players who head elsewhere. There’s then a flurry of activity in the days before the window closes as loans are agreed and players are brought in with little or no time to allow the head coach to bed in a team ready for the start of the season.
When I left Wembley with dreams of the Premier League, reality hit and the high came with a realisation that we were in for a real fight.
How many times have we heard that the club have plans in place for transfer targets depending in the division we would be in the following season, only for those plans to never really materialise?
This is something we can’t say about recent weeks, as we’ve moved swiftly and those who are already heading through the door come with a real reputation and fans of their former clubs bemoaning their departure.
> Welcome to Sunderland AFC, Habib Diarra! ❤️
>
> — Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) [July 1, 2025](https://twitter.com/SunderlandAFC/status/1940078031999025276?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
We know that however much our recruitment team may have a wish to bring a player through the door, all too often we’re not the only interested party and the demands of the selling club and the player themselves can make a deal impossible.
Within days of our playoff victory, we were being written off by many and given that in the past two seasons the promoted clubs have gone straight back down, in some ways you can understand the grim verdict on our chances.
However, someone needs to break the mould and although many teams in recent years have spent big, there does seem to be a real plan in place at the club.
Nothing can and will be decided before we face off against West Ham United in August and even then, it’s a long season ahead.
The mixture of youth and experience has served us well and Régis Le Bris is a very driven coach who expects a huge amount from his team and himself. There’s a feeling the club has a strategy and one they’re determined to pursue soon, rather than making a late rush for new faces.
Let’s enjoy the ride, welcome the new lads and trust the plan.