Not many people would have predicted that after almost one third of the Championship season, Sunderland would find themselves sitting at the top of the table. The Black Cats have enjoyed a superb start under Regis Le Bris, and at this early stage, very much boast the look of genuine promotion contenders.
Partially, their new head coach is to thank for the club’s upturn in fortunes, but credit also has to go to his squad, who have shone brightly during the early exchanges of the campaign. From teenage sensations Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham, to new signings Wilson Isidor and Chris Mepham, to more established names like Dennis Cirkin and Patrick Roberts, plenty in red and white have given good accounts of themselves, but who has been Sunderland’s best player so far?
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We’ve turned to stats gurus Whoscored for a definitive answer. The number-crunchers cast a beady eye over every Championship match and award all involved a rating based on their performance, and by taking an average of these figures, we have been able to rank the entirety of the Black Cats’ dressing room from lowest to highest. Check out the full gallery below...
13. 10. Chris Rigg - 6.77
Proof that stats don't know everything. Rigg has bordered on the sensational at times this season, and looks set to be a huge player for Sunderland over the coming months. Three goals already, and you suspect that he will bag plenty more as the campaign progresses | Getty Images
14. 9. Anthony Patterson - 6.78
Has come in for criticisms at times (after the Plymouth Argyle defeat, for example) but there is no denying that he remains one of the finest shot stoppers in the Championship. Photo: Frank Reid
15. 8. Eliezer Mayenda - 6.85
By and large, genuinely quite brilliant at the beginning of the season. Four goal contributions before injuries took him out of the side, but now he looks to have lost his shirt to Wilson Isidor. | Frank Reid
16. 7. Patrick Roberts - 6.90
Roberts has looked much more like his old self again this season. Inventive, tricky, and difficult to thwart when he cuts in on that left foot, his lack of a consistent end product is the only thing that lets him down on occasion. | Ian Horrocks