VAR controversy during Sunderland 1-1 Everton as Louis-Dreyfus delivers interview
Jonny Evans has delivered his view on Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
The 27-year-old has played pivotal role in a dramatic reversal of fortunes on Wearside in recent seasons, with Sunderland climbing from League One to the top flight since 2022. A draw against Everton on Monday evening means that the Black Cats sit fourth in the table at the time of writing, and prior to that contest at the Stadium of Light, Louis-Dreyfus gave a rare interview with Sky Sports.
When asked if he was surprised by the club’s start to the new season, Louis-Dreyfis responded: “To be honest we got promoted into a new league, our starting XI is almost entirely of new players so we didn't really know what to expect coming into the season, but to be honest we've been very pleased with the start we've made and especially with the team. For us the most important thing is that the team represents the community and the values of the club and for us we think that, as in the wins and the losses we've had this year, I think the team made us proud and that's the most important thing.”
Turning his attention to transfers, he continued: “I think the stats showed to us that unless you do something extraordinary you're likely going to go back to the Championship. For us, we didn't really set ourselves a budget in terms of the money we want to spend - we had an ambition to try and bring in the players we want and fortunately a lot of the deals we wanted to do we were able to conclude them, and as a result of that the spend in the end was big, but most importantly we got the players that we wanted.
“I would say definitely a little bit [that the great start could affect Sunderland’s approach in January] because obviously if we're in the bottom three by Christmas or we're in the top six by Christmas that changes the ambition a little bit. We're currently preparing for all scenarios but we've been doing that since the summer, so hopefully we'll be going into the January window with a top ten finish in mind and we will prepare and execute the transfer window to give us the best chance.”
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What did Jonny Evans say about Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus?
And in response to Louis-Dreyfus’ comments, Evans - who spent a stint with Sunderland early in his own playing career - was quick to hail the Black Cats owner. He said: “Well, he spoke very well there, and you have to say, when you ask the question about spending the money, they've obviously done their work, done their research before they made those decisions.
“You have to say that his involvement in Sunderland over the last four years has been incredible. To come up from League One, up into the Premier League in that short space of time, and you have to say the recruitment along the way has been really, really good.”
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