Key signings on and off the field that took Sunderland into Europe

HOW BLACK CATS SILENCED THE DOUBTERS IN STUNNING STYLE

- By MATTY HEWITT

Franck de Zee after scoring in a friendly against FC Utrecht in 2001.

(Credit: PA Wire)

“IT’S on, but it’s not done. The most important thing is to stay focused because when we start dreaming probably it is a distraction. The opponent next week will be strong, so we have to be at our best. If it’s the case at the end of the game we will have this conversation.”

Had you approached any Sunderland fan last summer and asked what Regis Le Bris was talking about heading into the final game of the season, very few would have guessed correctly.

The Black Cats were the favourites for relegation and had they taken survival to the final day of the season, the majority would have been pleased to still have a fighting chance.

After all, the odds were stacked against them, having won promotion via the Championship play-off final.

Not only did they have less time to prepare for the upcoming Premier League campaign, but they were about to lose key talents in Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson who played a massive part in their success.

Le Bris’ target was survival. The French head coach reiterated that his team needed to hit the 40-point mark throughout the campaign, but they did so with ease.

The Sunderland boss, of course, was talking about their European hopes heading into the final game of the season against Chelsea, and the 2-1 win against the Blues, coinciding with results going their way elsewhere, made that dream a reality.

To truly understand the foundations of this memorable campaign, we need to head back to January 2025 and the arrival of Enzo Le Fee from AS Roma.

Of course, the French playmaker has been one of the standout performers for the Black Cats this season, but the transfer to Sunderland was more than just the arrival of a quality player.