Sunderland’s sporting director reveals how the club plans to thrive in the Premier League this season
Florent Ghisolfi has offered the clearest insight yet into how Sunderland plan to re-establish themselves in the Premier League
How does the balance of power work?
At the heart of Sunderland’s model is unity. Ghisolfi made clear that no signing is pushed through without total agreement between the club’s key figures: himself, chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, and head coach Régis Le Bris.
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“We all four need to be aligned to approve a signing,” he said. That internal clarity has helped Sunderland move quickly but decisively this summer, spending over £100million to reshape their squad for Premier League life. It’s a structure designed to avoid panic buying and maintain consistency, even as the club steps into one of the most competitive leagues in world football.
Learning from past foreign signing mistakes?
Despite the continental feel to Sunderland’s window, with signings from Spain, France and beyond, Ghisolfi insists identity and adaptability are front and centre when assessing targets. Sunderland have been burned previously by recruiting foreign players who have struggled to learn English, Jewison Bennette, for example.
“All our recruits also speak English,” he explained. “In any case, we don't recruit based on linguistic considerations, but based on a player's potential, their ability to perform in the Premier League, and to connect with our supporters.”
He pointed to recent signing Reinildo as a prime example. The experienced full-back, who has joined from Atlético Madrid, was described by Ghisolfi as the type of player fans naturally gravitate towards. “Reinildo, for example, will certainly be adored here, just as he was in Lille and Madrid, because he never gives up: it's a core value at Sunderland.”
The never give up philosophy has long been tied to the club’s identity, given the city’s industrial history and the grit of former players like Kevin Ball, Gary Bennett, Bobby Kerr and Lee Cattermole. In that sense, Reinildo fits the mould.
Solid foundations already at Sunderland
As much as Sunderland are building, Ghisolfi was keen to stress what already exists within the squad. “We have a strong foundation with players like Chris Rigg, Daniel Ballard, Romaine Mundle, and Luke O'Nien who are of high quality and will play an important role.”
They are part of a dressing room that Ghisolfi believes can carry the club through a tricky transition into the Premier League from the Championship – one that will involve tough moments given the jump in quality but also, he says, real opportunity.
Sunderland looking to compete in Premier League
For Ghisolfi, Sunderland’s Premier League return is not a fairy-tale finish – it’s just the start of the next chapter. And the expectations are lofty. “Our ambition is to become an important club within the Premier League again and to regain a status that reflects our history,” he said.
There is no talk of just surviving. This is a club with the fanbase, infrastructure and ambition to grow quickly into something bigger. Eight years away from the elite does not change the fact that Sunderland is a Premier League club by definition.”
That line is likely to resonate with supporters, many of whom never stopped believing the club belonged at the top. Now, the task is turning that belief into permanence. For all the talk of legacy and history, Ghisolfi’s gaze is fixed firmly on the horizon.
He added: “We want to continue bringing in top-level players who will fully embrace the Sunderland experience,” he said. “We work with conviction. We don't look back, we look ahead... a future that will be written, no matter what, in part.”
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