Premier League appoint Robert Jones to referee Sunderland’s opening-day clash against West Ham United
Jones will be assisted by Nick Greenhalgh and Mat Wilkes, with Anthony Taylor as fourth official. In the VAR hub, Stuart Attwell will be on duty alongside assistant VAR Natalie Aspinall.
The fixture will be Jones’ first Sunderland appointment since February, when he oversaw the Black Cats’ dramatic 2-2 Championship draw against Watford at the Stadium of Light. On that day, Dennis Cirkin struck a late equaliser in stoppage time after goals from Luke O’Nien and Wilson Isidor.
Régis Le Bris’ side will be looking to make a strong start to life back in the Premier League, with kick-off against the Hammers scheduled for Saturday, August 16. Ahead of the game, Sunderland’s head coach reiterated that both Enzo Le Fée and Dan Neil remain key figures in his plans for Sunderland’s Premier League campaign.
The pair face a challenge to secure starting roles on the opening day against West Ham United after being named in the heavily rotated side that faced Rayo Vallecano at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. The day before, Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra started together in midfield against FC Augsburg and are expected to retain their places for the league curtain-raiser.
Le Bris suggested Le Fée could begin the season as an impact substitute, but stressed that his importance to the squad remains undiminished. "We'll have two or three players like Enzo, really close to the starting XI but at the same time we have to make a choice because we can only play with 11 players," Le Bris said.
"We need to build starters and finishes. Our midfielders will have this opportunity, that's really clear. It's the same for our strikers. It's positive and we will try to find this competition in every position before the end of the transfer window.
"At the minute but the season can change so quickly, so you can start the first game in this position, we'll see if that's the case against West Ham, we'll decide this week. But if it's the case, maybe after one game or two or three it will change because the dynamic of the season is always different and we need 15 or 16 players at the best level."
Neil’s position is also influenced by his contract situation, with Le Bris confirming there has been no progress in negotiations. However, the Sunderland boss said the midfielder will get his chance this season and has impressed him in training. "Absolutely," Le Bris said. "In Dan's position, we have a strong and experienced player, and he will massively help the squad thanks to his level, but also leadership and experience.
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"For a player like Dan and others who played in the Championship last season, the gap to the Premier League is really important, so if you can learn behind a player like Granit, then you can learn quickly, and this gap can be reduced really quickly.”
Le Bris concluded: "He will have opportunities if he works well. He's done well so far. He's a good professional and he understands the situation. For me, it's more an opportunity than a problem, and if you think like that, it's a positive."
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