Sunderland’s off-pitch work this summer is as pleasing as the £109m spent in the transfer market
This summer has marked a decisive shift in tone and tempo under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori at Sunderland. The club’s once-cautious rebuild has been replaced by a bold, top-to-bottom transformation – one that now resembles a Premier League-calibre project in full flow.
In just six weeks since promotion, Sunderland have spent over £109million on first-team signings, hired a raft of elite coaches, refreshed their youth pipeline and committed to major infrastructure upgrades at both the Academy of Light and the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats, after years of treading water, are suddenly moving with clear-eyed conviction.
Coaching and backroom overhaul
The first domino to fall was the appointment of Régis Le Bris last summer – a tactician with a proven track record of system-building at Lorient. But Louis-Dreyfus has now moved to bolster expertise levels at the Academy of Light following the club’s promotion.
Le Bris now has three brand new key lieutenants: former AC Milan assistant Luciano Vulcano, ex-Barcelona performance analyst Isidre Ramón Madir, and one of English football’s most respected goalkeeper coaches, Neil Cutler. The trio join a backroom setup that now also features permanent roles for Michael Proctor, Pedro Ribeiro and long-time academy coach Alessandro Barcherini. It’s the kind of specialised, continentally influenced staff more often seen at clubs chasing European football, not merely Premier League survival.
£109m transfer statement with more to come
Sunderland’s transfer outlay this summer already exceeds £109million – and that’s before wages, bonuses or agents’ fees are considered. Enzo Le Fée (£20m), Noah Sadiki (up to £19.5m), Habib Diarra (up to £30m), Chemsedine Talbi (up to £19.5m), and Simon Adingra (up to £20.5m) are all part of the club’s sweeping refresh, alongside experienced left-back Reinildo on a free.
These are not depth signings or hopeful punts; they are high-level, high-ceiling players signed to perform now and appreciate in value later. For a club long associated with financial constraint, it is a definitive change of pace – and one that speaks to the influence of newly appointed director of football Florent Ghisolfi. His appointment tells its own story about extra investment and expertise behind the scenes to bolster the ranks at Sunderland. They are now acting like a top-flight operation.
Sunderland’s youth focus still remains
What’s most telling, though, is that Sunderland’s long-term philosophy hasn’t been lost amid the ambition. The youth focus remains central. New deals have been handed out to Jaydon Jones, Ben Metcalf, Jack Whittaker, Timur Tutierov, Ben Kindon and others – safeguarding a generation of in-house talent, with the conveyor belt showing no signs of slowing any time soon.
Meanwhile, the club have moved quickly in the external youth market, securing goalkeeper Isaac Allan from Lincoln City, attacking midfielder Jay Matadeen from Manchester City, and Northern Irish prospect Matthew Burns from Coleraine. It’s proof that, despite the headline spending, the club’s eyes remain fixed on sustainable development from within.
Infrastructure and identity
Off the pitch, Sunderland’s Premier League preparation is just as rigorous. The Stadium of Light is undergoing a phased upgrade – with a new hybrid pitch, improved hospitality, and better fan connectivity on the way. Over at the Academy of Light, a complete rebuild of the first-team training pitch (now an exact replica of the stadium surface) has been completed, alongside new irrigation systems, expanded warm-up space, and longer-term plans to add further full-size pitches. Every corner of the operation is being sharpened – not for show, but for performance.
What does this all mean?
In my view, Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori’s vision for Sunderland can now be truly described as holistic, and the strategy unfolding this summer reflects a belief in the club’s potential to become a genuine top-level force. Squad depth, coaching quality, facilities, recruitment and governance are all being addressed in unison, with no shortcuts or silos. This isn’t just a promotion push. It’s a Premier League blueprint, built on foundations for long-term growth.
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Of course, none of this guarantees survival. The Premier League is unforgiving, and the financial pitfalls are well known. But this Sunderland feels different. The spending is strategic. The staff are elite. The planning is joined-up. Season-ticket sales are soaring. There is clarity, momentum and belief.
Whether the Black Cats can emulate the likes of Brighton or Brentford – or even beat the odds to stay up at the first attempt – remains to be seen. But one thing is already clear: under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Sunderland are no longer pretending to be a big club. They are building one – and this summer might just be the moment the rest of the football world takes notice.
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