Sunderland are well on course to avoid relegation straight back down to the Championship in their first season back in the Premier League.
The Black Cats won promotion to the top-flight via the play-offs last season, yet they are currently above the two teams that won automatic promotion.
Regis Le Bris' team are 14 points clear of the bottom three in the Premier League with seven matches to go, having already crossed the magic 40-point mark, sitting on 43 points.
sunderland-premier-league-regis-le-bris
Sunderland have excelled in their return to the top-flight because they hit the jackpot in the summer transfer window with a host of fantastic signings, including the likes of Brian Brobbey, Granit Xhaka, and Nordi Mukiele.
Xhaka, in particular, was a transformational signing as a vastly experienced midfielder who had played in the Premier League for Arsenal, and he has captained the side this term.
Why Sunderland need to think beyond Granit Xhaka
The Switzerland international was described as a "season-changing signing" by Peterborough chariman Darragh MacAnthony earlier this term, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment.
Xhaka leads the Sunderland squad in 'big chances' created (seven) and assists (five) in the Premier League this season, using his quality on the ball to be the team's main creative outlet from a deep-lying midfield role.
The Black Cats may already have to start thinking about life after the Swiss star, though, because he turns 34 this year and it remains to be seen how many years he has left at the peak of his powers.
Granit-Xhaka
Xhaka, who is valued at £7.6m by Transfermarkt at the time of writing, is heading towards the final years of his career and the club may need to start looking at future targets who could come in and replace him in midfield.
That is not the case with the younger signings made last summer, though, because the Black Cats signed several stars who could shine at the Stadium of Light for many, many, years to come.
Sunderland have signed their next Jack Clarke
One of the players signed by Sunderland for Le Bris last summer is already worth even more than the veteran Xhaka (£7.6m), and looks to be the French manager's own version of Jack Clarke.
Trossard-Xhaka
The Black Cats swooped to sign Morocco international Chemsdine Talbi from Club Brugge for a fee of £18m, and he has enjoyed a respectable first season in English football.
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He has had his fair share of struggles, as you would expect from a 20-year-old in the Premier League for the first time, and there was a point where it looked like he may go on to become a flop after a run of eight matchdays without a goal or an assist.
However, Talbi returned to form at the perfect time before the international break with the equalising goal in the 2-1 win over Newcastle United in the derby at St. James' Park.
The 20-year-old starlet has now produced four goals and one assist in 14 starts in his first season in the Premier League, which is far from a poor return for such a young player in a new country.
A return of four goals from 1.99 xG, including two goals from outside of the box, also shows that he is on course to become Le Bris' own version of Clarke on the left flank.
Jack Clarke
During his time at Sunderland, Clarke offered a big goal threat when cutting in on his right foot. In the 2023/24 campaign, the English winger scored 15 goals, including five goals from outside of the box, from 11.43 xG in the Championship.
Talbi is an efficient finisher who can score goals from range, like the former Black Cats star, but the next step for him is to offer creativity on top of his goalscoring.
25/26 Premier League Talbi per 90 Rank vs LWs
xG 0.14 Bottom 34%
xG on target 0.23 Top 30%
Goals 0.27 Top 25%
Chances created 0.81 Bottom 14%
Assists 0.07 Bottom 37%
The Moroccan star has not offered too much creativity for the team in the Premier League, so he could become a complete player if Le Bris can help him to unlock that side of his game.
Despite lacking in the creativity department, Talbi's performances have helped his Transfermarkt value to soar this season. Signed for £18, the winger is valued at £21.7m by Transfermarkt after less than a full season at the Stadium of Light.
talbi-sunderland-premier-league
This means that he is worth more than double what Xhaka is currently worth, whilst also being 13 years younger and having far more time left ahead of him to develop and improve.
Therefore, Talbi may not be as impactful on the pitch as Xhaka in the here and now, but the Moroccan talent has the potential to be a star player for the club for many more years, and the club will not have to replace him any time soon if he continues to improve and excel as Le Bris' own Clarke.
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