Exclusive:'Why not?' - Chris Waddle issues verdict on Sunderland's European qualification hopes
Sunderland have enjoyed a superb return to the Premier League this season.
Chris Waddle has claimed that Sunderland could sneak their way into a European qualification spot this season following their stellar return to life in the Premier League.
After having secured promotion via the Championship play-offs last year, the Black Cats were many onlookers’ favourites to suffer an immediate relegation back to the second tier, but have shocked the top flight in recent months by playing their way into the upper echelons of the table.
At the time of writing, Regis Le Bris’ men find themselves in the top half, just a handful of points adrift of the top four. And while Waddle has conceded that survival might have been his former club’s sole aim at the beginning of the campaign, he is now of the belief that a much more illustrious finish could be attainable.
What did Chris Waddle say about Sunderland’s European qualification hopes?
Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of Spreadex Sports, the pundit said: “Listen, I think at the start of the season, it [Sunderland’s goal] would have been to finish fourth-bottom, let's be perfectly honest.
“Now, why not [aim for a European spot]? There are seven teams qualifying. We saw Nottingham Forest do it last season. We've seen teams over the last few years really finish high in the league - Bournemouth and Fulham. Sunderland are probably thinking, ‘If we can just keep this form going, there's no reason why we've can’t have an outside chance of getting into Europe’.
“That would be, by the way, very demanding then, because all of a sudden you are stretching your squad. So, they may have to buy another four or five players. But listen, if they finish eighth, ninth, tenth, what a season. For me, that's as good as being in the Champions League, looking at the squad.
“Nobody knew a lot of these players, by the way, when they brought them in. Fair play to their scouting system and how they identified these guys who would do well at this level of football. It's been absolutely fantastic. What a great achievement... What a fabulous season they've had.”
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What else has been said about Sunderland’s European qualification hopes?
Elsewhere, Sunderland winger Chemsdine Talbi has admitted that he and his teammates are eager to finish the season as strongly as possible, especially with the possibility of European football becoming ever more tangible.
Speaking recently, the wide man said: “I don't know where we can finish, but we will for sure give everything to finish at the top. We will not end now, we’re not thinking, ‘this is enough’. It’s not enough. We need to go full to reach the top, and we need to dream about the Champions League, Europa League. So we have the ability to do it, the squad also, so we will go 100 per cent for that.”
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