Following their promotion from League One, the Black Cats have some work to do in the transfer market if they are going to be competitive in the second tier.
Many of their league rivals will have bigger budgets to work with, especially those with the benefit of Premier League parachute payments.
Yet some will feel the Black Cats can kick on under Alex Neil, who has lost just one of his 18 games in charge of the club.
Following the announcement of the 2022/23 fixtures, here are early promotion odds for Sunderland and their league rivals, courtesy of bookmakers BetVictor:
All odds correct at the time of writing. Over 18s only. Please gamble responsibly and Be Gamble Aware. www.begambleaware.org.
1. (24th) Rotherham
Rotherham are priced at 25/1 to win promotion from the Championship, according to BetVictor.
Photo: Alex Livesey
2. (Joint 22nd) Birmingham
Birmingham are priced at 20/1 to win promotion from the Championship, according to BetVictor.
Photo: Nathan Stirk
3. (Joint 22nd) Reading
Reading are priced at 20/1 to win promotion from the Championship, according to BetVictor.
Photo: Andrew Redington
4. (Joint 20th) Bristol City
Bristol City are priced at 14/1 to win promotion from the Championship, according to BetVictor.
Photo: Marc Atkins