To say Sunderland have been active in the summer transfer window would be a huge understatement. Leeds United's rivals have already brought in six new faces as they prepare for their first season back in the Premier League since 2017.
The Black Cats, who sealed promotion via the Championship play-offs after finishing 24 points behind the Whites in the regular season, have added Enzo le Fee, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra to their ranks this summer. Midfield duo Diarra and Sadiki featured on United's transfer shortlist, with Daniel Farke's side seeing a big-money offer turned down for Diarra last month.
But Black Cats coach Regis Le Bris has indicated there could be some player exits before the market shuts on September 1. Abdoullah Ba, Nazariy Rusyn and ex-Whites winger Ian Poveda have been made available for transfer and a number of other players will have to prove their credentials in the coming weeks.
When asked about the futures of players like Niall Huggins, Nectarios Triantis and Ahmed Abdullahi following their pre-season friendly against South Shields over the weekend, Le Bris said: "We will see for every player. I told them that the first two weeks are dedicated for the reconnection. After that, we will have to be clear about different pathways - if some of them need game time and it is not possible here then it is not necessary to stay here."
Sunderland cruised to a 4-0 win over the National League North outfit thanks to goals from Wilson Isidor, Romaine Mundle, Milan Aleksic and Ahmed Abdullahi. Next up for the Black Cats is a warm-up fixture against Sevilla on Saturday at the Estadio Algarve.
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