Head coach Regis Le Bris signs a contract extension at Sunderland flanked by sporting director Kristjaan Speakman (R) and director of football Florent Ghisolfi (L) (Image: Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
So, Regis Le Bris has his reward with a new three-year contract at Sunderland and rightly so. What a magnificent job he did last season in taking the club back to the Premier League in his first year in charge.
He is an astute head coach, forward thinker, innovator – right up there in the early mould of Arsene Wenger who came to the UK as an unknown and transformed English football with his revolutionary ideas.
Of course, Le Bris and the former Arsenal boss are incomparable right now but Le Bris has instilled those same kinds of ethics in his and the club’s working practices at the Stadium of Light.
But -of course there’s a but - the history of the Premier League is littered with managerial casualties who have not lasted more than three or four months based purely on results.
Even in recent times, Scott Parker (Bournemouth), Javi Gracia (Watford), Frank De Boer (Crystal Palace) and Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea) have all been sacked while only in their jobs a matter of days.
Famously, Nigel Adkins took Southampton from League One to the Premier League in a two-year spell culminating in his sacking in January 2013. He lasted a little longer at the top level but even so, it was an example of there being little loyalty in football. It’s a results business and no mistake.
There are examples of clubs sticking by their bosses, with a prime example being Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, who won promotion to the top level for the club in 2024 and was then relegated in 2025. Good for Ipswich for recognising they have a good man in charge and that hadn’t changed just because they couldn’t cope among England’s elite.
Worryingly, Ipswich spent £152m last summer – including snapping up Sunderland’s Jack Clarke – and still plummeted back to the Championship.
It is a stark warning of just what lies in store for Sunderland and they must make their relatively more comfortable start to the season count.
Already, the club have spent around £135m and there remains little Premier League experience in the squad, which makes Simon Adingra and Granit Xhaha absolutely key signings.
In terms of Le Bris’ stock, it could not be higher at this moment in time. A bright young boss learning his trade and succeeding beyond expectations in his first year in England.
But promotion can be a double-edged sword.
While Frank Lampard was disappointed after Sunderland beat his Coventry City side over two legs in last season’s Championship play-off semi-final, you couldn’t help but wonder, deep down, if he was thinking, ‘that’s me in a job for another year’ as he tries to go one better next time.
Le Bris, whose Sunderland team lost their last five matches of the regular season and only scored four goals in their last 10 matches prior to the play-offs, doesn’t have that luxury.
He has to start winning, and quickly.
His team have lost their last three pre-season friendlies scoring once. They need to find more goalpower from somewhere. Otherwise Sunderland could be in trouble from the off.
Let’s hope the club’s hierarchy sticks with their man no matter what.
The fans need to bottle what they feel about Le Bris now and never deviate from those thoughts. He deserves that much.
But if the worst happens, that three-year contract has at least given him and his family relative financial security.