The Sunderland survival model

Calling this blog ‘The Sunderland survival model’ is a bit of a misnomer as the Black Cats not only survived, but thrived, upon their return to the Premier League last season, eventually qualifying for Europa League football on the final day of the campaign. As the newly-promoted trio of Coventry, Ipswich and Hull look to follow in their footsteps, are there any lessons to be learned from how the Wearsiders went about their business?

Lesson 1 - No Room for Sentiment!

Having secured promotion via the playoffs, the powers that be at Sunderland obviously felt that the vast majority of that side was not ready to make the step up. In fact, only three of the team that started in the victory over Sheffield United at Wembley in May made it into Regis Le Bris’ starting XI for the opening-day win against West Ham some 12 weeks later.

Lesson 2 - Splash the Cash, But Buy in Bulk

Over the course of the summer, the Black Cats spent an eye-watering €188.65m on new talent. What was clever about their recruitment, however, was that they spread the cash around, not spending more than €31.50m on any one individual.

Lesson 3 – Invest in Youth

In total, Sunderland forked out €20.00m or more on five occasions. The Black Cats’ strategy when doing so was clear, however, with four of these signings being 23 years of age or younger at the time of purchase. Enzo Le Fee was the exception to the rule at 25 years old, but he was already known to the club having ended the previous campaign on loan at the Stadium of Light.

Lesson 4 - Focus on Major European Leagues

Whilst some clubs focus on emerging markets, the Wearsiders stuck to the tried and tested. The big five European leagues provided nine of their 15 signings, with another five players arriving from either Belgium or Holland. It should also be noted that Premier League experience was far from essential, with only five of their summer recruits having played in the competition before.

Lesson 5 – Seek Out Bargains

Having played close to 300 games for Arsenal, snapping up the vastly-experienced Granit Xhaka for just €15.00m proved to be a genuine masterstroke. The likes of Nordi Mukiele (€12.00m), Lutsharel Geertruida (loan) and Reinildo Mandava (free) were also familiar names to viewers of midweek European football, whilst Omar Alderete and Robin Roefs, two players who would end the season at the World Cup, cost a combined €22.10m.

Lesson 6 – You Win Some, You Lose Some

For every Xhaka, Roefs and Alderete, there is a Simon Adingra and an Arthur Masuaku, both of whom failed to make an impression on Wearside and ended the campaign on loan in French football. Having signed a five-year contract, however, Adingra still has time to establish himself at the Stadium of Light, whilst Masuaku arrived on a free transfer anyway.

Summary

Sunderland have provided the perfect blueprint for other promoted teams to follow, albeit that few will be able to match their achievement of qualifying for Europe. Simply put, get numbers through the door, target major leagues and don’t overspend on individuals. Young players will offer potential, as well as future resale value, but you need a few experienced heads to help guide them along the way. Whether or not Coventry, Ipswich and Hull will be able to compete with the Black Cats in terms of wages is open to debate, but they should not shy away from being ambitious in pursuit of establishing themselves in the Premier League.

For those with an interest in the finer details, below is the full list of Sunderland signings from the summer of 2025: