Sunderland secured promotion back to the Premier League this summer
Former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe has suggested that the club are a “sleeping giant” and has claimed that he would “love” to see them survive in the Premier League this season.
The Black Cats sealed a long-awaited return to the top flight via the Championship play-offs back in May, and have since embarked on an ambitious recruitment drive aimed at bolstering Regis Le Bris’ squad ahead of what promises to be a challenging campaign.
And while Defoe is under no illusions as to the scale of the task facing Sunderland, he has strongly reiterated his hope that the Black Cats can defy recent trends and avoid an immediate relegation back to the Championship.
What has Jermain Defoe said about Sunderland’s Premier League survival hopes?
Speaking at a KP Snacks event in Charlton Park, helping to celebrate their achievement of installing 100 all-weather, grassroots community cricket pitches across England and Wales, Defoe said: “It's not easy to stay in the Premier League. It's always been the best league in the world, in my opinion, but now it seems like the hardest league as well to stay in.
“You'd love to see these teams sort of like Sunderland come up and stay. I know they've spent money, but I've always said this club is a sleeping giant. I think it's a Premier League football club, and coming up alongside Leeds, these are Premier League clubs with massive fan bases. And when it's going well there, it's a special place to play. If you speak to any player that's played there, it's special.”
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He added: “The fact that these young players get opportunity to experience that in the Premier League, I'm really, I'm really happy for them. I was actually up there yesterday doing some stuff for the for the Bradley Lowry foundation and even then you can sense the excitement about being back in the Premier League and that. So looking forward to, hopefully I can go to a few games this year, especially the Newcastle one!”
So far this summer, Sunderland have completed nine signings, including permanent deals for the likes of Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra, and an ambitious loan swoop for Chelsea striker Marc Guiu, who was unveiled on Wearside earlier this week. At the time of writing, the Black Cats’ transfer spend in excess of £120 million, with more acquisitions expected between now and the end of the window.
KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, are celebrating the installation of 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, visit:www.everyonein.co.uk/pitchfinder.
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