Sunderland's stunning Premier League start has had pundits purring
Granit Xhaka celebrates Sunderland's win at Chelsea
Granit Xhaka celebrates Sunderland's win at Chelsea(Image: Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
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Ex-Premier League forward Charlie Austin has praised Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris for the job he has done since arriving on Wearside.
The former marksman also believes the Black Cats will avoid relegation this season.
A dramatic win at Chelsea on Saturday took Sunderland to 17 points from their opening nine games and just three points away from the magic halfway number of 40. They ended the weekend in fourth place.
Austin appeared on Sky Sports News, Austin and was happy to share his admiration for the Frenchman - as well as emphasising how impressed he has been with Black Cats skipper Granit Xhaka in particular.
When asked about Le Bris, Austin responded: “The scary thing is, not a lot of people know, really, outside of being a Sunderland fan, that he’s only in his second year in the job.
"He did a fantastic job in the Championship. Now he’s in the Premier League, he’s got 15 new players who came in, and as you look at the Sunderland players and the whole squad, you know exactly what they’re doing, their whole job.
“And the best thing is, we’re constantly talking about it, but Granit Xhaka coming to Sunderland is arguably going to be the signing of the summer. And it’s not just for what he does and how he plays, but how pivotal he is to that whole team.”
He added: “[They have a] Nothing to lose mentality. Everybody, except for me, said they would go down, but they had nothing to lose, right? They have nothing to lose, everything to gain. They’re playing in the best league in the world, the Premier League. Go and express yourself, go and show yourself.
"The manager told them what to do and how he’d like them to play, and they’re doing that, ultimately, every week.
“They have Granit Xhaka, they have a captain of the football club, and everyone’s looking at it saying, ‘How have you signed him? How have you signed him? Why have you signed him?’. And look how well he’s conducting the whole team. Him and the manager must have such a tight bond on and off the pitch, and you’ve seen that.”
Austin was also asked what Sunderland’s ambitions should be this season following their impressive start. The Black Cats, who host Everton on Monday night, went into the weekend's games in fourth spot in the Premier League.
“It’s one step at a time, of course, but ultimately, they want to stay in the Premier League and get to the points target as quickly as possible," said Austin. "What will that be, will it be 30, will it be 35 points?
“The expectations of the Sunderland fans are to get higher because of how well they’ve performed so far. But then, ultimately, I know things change over the season, but staying in the Premier League is number one for Sunderland. Like, 100%. And then build on that.
"But I’m saying, build on that, stay in the Premier League because you got to that point total mark that you said you wanted to get to, and then build on that, and then see how far you can get.”
Turning his attention to the fact that neither Leeds United nor Burnley are in the bottom three at this stage of the campaign, Austin admitted that if the promoted clubs could stay up it would help inspire other Championship sides coming up.
He continued: “I think it’s brilliant for the Premier League, and not for the other clubs. The six or seven that have stayed up all the time and always been in that conversation - 'they’ll be all right because the three promoted teams will take their places and go back down’.
"I think it gives a whole new dynamic to the Premier League now, and it’s exciting, I think, fair play to them.”