Both Sunderland and Leeds United have started their respective Premier League campaigns with confidence-boosting wins after tasting the sweet glory of promotion last season.
Leeds just about got over the line in the end in a 1-0 triumph over Everton, while Regis Le Bris' Black Cats stormed to a mightily impressive 3-0 victory over a dejected West Ham United side who rolled over in the second half to gift the hosts a comfortable three points.
Up next, Sunderland travel to the only promoted outfit that didn't pick up maximum points on the opening weekend in Burnley, ready to apply more salt to the Clarets' wound on the road.
More new signings in through the door also look to be horizon at the Stadium of Light, as the positive mood on Wearside shows no signs of letting up.
Sunderland consider £17m swoop for striker
Despite such a rampant offering against the Hammers, Sunderland looks to be in the market again for some fresh attackers.
Reports suggest that a huge £27m bid has been lodged by Le Bris and Co. for the services of Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu, with a deal perhaps too expensive for Sunderland to finalise, owing to their rapid spending all summer long.
Fatawu-Leicester
£17m could also soon be splashed on Ajax centre-forward Brian Brobbey, if other reports are to be believed.
As per Dutch outfit Algemeen Dagblad, it is being alleged that Sunderland are seriously considering a move for the homegrown Amsterdam attacker, who has been told he can depart his boyhood club to try and find a change of scenery.
brian-brobbey
That has alerted Stade Rennes, Stuttgart, and AS Roma, with Sunderland also in the mix.
Sealing a £17m deal for Brobbery to join the building might well see Sunderland try to replicate the success story of their Wilson Isidor deal, as another exciting - if slightly unknown to the average Black Cats supporter - attacker braces himself for a big move to English soil.
Why Brobbey can be the next Isidor
It's fair to say the gamble to bring Isidor to Wearside has now more than paid off, with his stylish curled finish wrongfooting Mads Hermansen to seal a 3-0 win on the opening day.
Of course, he has other moments of quality in his back pocket, too, at the Stadium of Light, as the goal-hungry Frenchman helped himself to 13 strikes last season as Sunderland won that ecstatic promotion back up to the big time.
Wilson-Isidor-Sunderland
Isidor's move has now gone down as a left-field switch that has worked perfectly for all involved, considering the 24-year-old initially arrived at Le Bris' camp on loan as a relative unknown entity from Zenit St. Petersburg.
With only four goals next to his name from 26 appearances for the Russian titans, there would have been a lot of anxiety in the air surrounding him flopping.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case, with Brobbey now attempting to follow in Isidor's footsteps, after he experienced a shoddy 2024/25 campaign himself in the Eredivisie.
Brobbey's senior record at Ajax
Season
24/25
23/24
22/23
21/22
20/21
via Transfermarkt
Only four of Brobbey's seven strikes last season would come in Dutch top-flight action, which is a notable drop-off when contrasted with his blistering exploits during the 2023/24 season, where a mammoth 21 goals and 11 assists would come his way from 43 contests.
The eight-time Netherlands international could well get back to his goalscoring best under Le Bris' wing, knowing that Isidor has been transformed into a Premier League-capable attacker under the ex-Lorient boss' tutelage.
Moreover, when the "prolific" attacker is purring - as he has been labelled previously by scout Jacek Kulig - he is a force to be reckoned with, as seen when powering home this thumping one-time finish against Heracles Almelo, which is reminiscent of Isidor's split-second displays of quality in front of goal.
Further lauded as a "goal machine" by Kulig, this feels as if it could be a golden purchase if all goes to plan, as Sunderland attempts to scare more top-flight defences stiff with the addition of another clinical finisher.