Sunderland have been 'linked' with a double transfer deal - here's everything you need to know in 90 seconds...
Sunderland drew 2-2 with Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday evening
Sky Sports pundit Tim Sherwood has cheekily called for Sunderland’s recruitment chiefs to be knighted following the Black Cats’ stunning start to life in the Premier League this season.
A 2-2 draw against leaders Arsenal on Saturday evening left Regis Le Bris’ men fourth in the table heading into the international break, despite many commentators predicting that they would be embroiled in a relegation battle prior to the beginning of the campaign.
But after their latest eye-catching performance at the Stadium of Light, Sherwood has been quick to praise Sunderland for their diligent display against the Gunners, while also highlighting the positive impacts of head coach Regis Le Bris and a proactive summer of recruitment during which 14 fresh faces were parachuted into Wearside.
What has Tim Sherwood said about Sunderland?
Speaking on an episode of Sky Sports FC, Sherwood said: “They [Sunderland] didn't go away anywhere, did they? When they attack, they attack with numbers. You saw the amount of bodies in the box. When they have a set piece, they wait until the action's finished. They're not running back, scared to defend before they complete.
“They keep the ball alive, they keep it in the dangerous areas, they load the box up. They're physical with the Arsenal players, they're not scared at all. We're talking about an Arsenal team that didn't play bad. It's not as if Arsenal played bad, it's just that they never went anywhere. They didn't go away. Normally, teams put their head down and think, ‘That's it, now they're going to go ahead, they're going to win’.
“Never say die attitude. The fans’ support put the wind in their sails. When they get set-pieces, like I say, if they don't win the first one, they win the second one, they keep it alive. Not a team in the world wants to be under pressure with six or seven bodies from the opposition in their box, challenging for every ball like their lives depend on it .
“Not only that, when they get their self-level, Dan Ballard typifies what Sunderland are all about with that block in the last seconds of the game - puts his body on the line for the cause, for the team, for the badge. That's exactly what you need if you want to stay in the Premier League. They're staying in the Premier League, I've told you for a month now. There's no danger they will go. Now they have to start looking upwards.”
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Sherwood continued: “Where can they actually finish? What they are at the moment is party poopers. And that's great. To beat the big teams, who would have thought they could get a draw off Arsenal? No one's getting anywhere near Arsenal. To score a goal against Arsenal is bad enough - they've scored two against them. So, yeah, it should be encouraging for the rest.
“But who's going to be brave enough to be able to do that? Regis Le Bris has actually been brave enough to say, ‘You know what, guys, when we get the ball in the final third, we wait till the action's over before we start worrying about them attacking us’.”
The pundit was then asked what he knew about Le Bris prior to the Frenchman arriving in England, responding: “Zero. Zero.” Quizzed on how impressed he is with the Sunderland boss now, he added: “Well, you can only judge him... what he's done has been outstanding. Outstanding with the record - he's taken them to the Premier League and to be competitive in the Premier League... I think their recruitment, head of recruitment, should be knighted as well. Incredible signings, what they've made. For me, Granit Xhaka is the signing of the summer.”
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