The latest episode of The Roar podcast, brought to you by the Sunderland Echo, is available now
From now on, Director of Football Florent Ghisolfi will take charge of the sporting project on Wearside after assuming full control of football operations in July 2025. But how will things pan out under the Frenchman, and what challenges will he face now that Speakman has departed?
On the latest episode of The Roar podcast, brought to you by The Echo, Sunderland writer James Copley offered his thoughts on the transition...
What challenges will Florent Ghisolfi face at Sunderland?
When asked if he had confidence in Ghisolfi, James responded: “I have a great deal of confidence at the moment because it was under his leadership that we recruited so well in the summer. Everybody you speak to says it was because Ghisolfi was leading that with help from Speakman. As I say, Speakman deserves a lot of credit for helping to hand over the club and making that transition smoother.
“I think he [Ghisolfi] faces a number of challenges. I think, obviously, the second season in the Premier League could present problems. So, the trick is to get that recruitment right again. Sunderland have a bit of money to spend as well. So, you've got to spend that money right. Where do you spend it? Do you spend it on younger players? Do you maintain this 20 to 24 age group model that we've adopted? Do you push the boat out on more signings like Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele? Do you go and start spending money upwards of £30, 40 million? We've seen Sunderland do £30 million. We've seen them hover around the £20 million mark. But how far do they push it? It only takes getting one of those big signings wrong. So, it's a fine line. If you get one of those big signings wrong, it can really hamper you.
“I think, generally, keeping the contract management going, I think as well, is hugely important for Ghisolfi. He'll be aware of all this sort of stuff. He'll know what works. I think, just generally, in a sort of philosophical sense, it's striking the balance between ambition and sustainability. Sunderland will have to sell players to progress, but you still want the club to be ambitious. If you under-invest, you'll probably risk a little bit of regression. If you overspend chasing acceleration, you'll probably risk heavy financial strain. So, with anything, it's a big tightrope that he's walking.”
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He continued: “I think my sort of fundamental thoughts about Ghisolfi would be protecting and strengthening Sunderland's strong identity in a way where we know what this club is now - but how does it now look in the Premier League? It's been built on the academy. It's been built on giving young players a chance. We're sort of seeing it a little bit in terms of the team at the moment. Where do the likes of Chris Rigg and Eliezer Mayenda fit now? Where does that pathway lead? How has that pathway changed from the academy through to the first team?
“Because Sunderland, I think for the first time in a generation, we really know what we are. The club have these slogans, the ‘‘Til the End’ - bold, creative, industrious. I'd like to see that strengthened and continued because I think for the past five years, it's been brilliant to watch that grow, the connection between the fans, the team, the ownership. It's aligned and as strong as I've seen in a long, long time.”
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