Every word Régis Le Bris said about Sunderland move, Vito Manonne and Yann M'Villa during first interview
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Sunderland’s new head coach Régis Le Bris has delivered his first interview with the club.
Le Bris has revealed talks with former Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone prior to his appointment at the Stadium of Light.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe 48-year-old Frenchman has taken over the reins at the Stadium of Light this summer and is due to officially start work at the beginning of July, though the former Lorient man is already in the North East and has met with his new bosses and with fans.
Le Bris joins Sunderland from Lorient, where he worked with ex-Sunderland favourite Vito Mannone, revealing what the goalkeeper had to say about the club alongside Yann M’Vila and club historian Rob Mason.
Le Bris, who started work at the beginning of July ahead of pre-season, met Sunderland fans for the first time at the opening of the club's new store
Le Bris also added a short message to fans for the season after last campaign’s disappointing 16th-placed Championship season, expressing a desire to live up to supporters’ expectations ahead of 2024-25.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHere, we take a look at every word Le Bris said during his first interview with Sunderland:
Le Bris on joining Sunderland
RLB: “It's a great moment for me because I discover a big stadium with an identity which is very, very strong and the fans are very proud of the team and for me, I can feel the energy in the stadium. For me, it's a great opportunity in my career because I always trained in France.
“With the youth academy at the beginning and then with the professional team at Lorient. I thought that it was a great moment to move. Two years ago, I started to learn English because I had that idea in my mind that I wanted to move abroad and I thought that England was the best way to go forward. Now, I'm very happy to be there.
“The football was born here, so the passion is so impressive about the football and the intensity, the quality of the players, the size of the clubs. It's very impressive. It has a great history and the community is very linked with this club.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“We can feel the energy and the passion around this club. For sure, they want to be higher, but also the foundations are very strong. I believe that we can perform very well to achieve the expectations of the fans.”
Le Bris on M’Vila, Mason and Mannone
RLB: “Of course, as many fans, I think I saw the series on Netflix. But also, I coached before some players who played here as M’Vila, for example, or other players. It was obviously a huge curiosity to understand who you are because the history is very strong. I need to learn, I need to understand who you are. For sure, it will give me some elements to train the team and to explain to them how we want to play.
“He (Mason) explained many details. I forgot everything, because it was so precise, I think. So, I can understand that the foundations of the club are very strong. It's all about the history, but also about the future. So, we need to link together these two ideas and to build the future.
“Vito liked this club. He told me that it was a great club. He loved playing here. So, I'm sure I will enjoy being here with the players and with the fans here at the club. I can feel their expectations, energy, willingness, intensity and support also. I had maybe 30 minutes with them and I could feel this energy.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLe Bris on Sunderland’s squad
RLB: “I think that this group had a huge quality already. I studied many games, of course, before going here. They were able to perform very well and they struggled also. So, now we need to find some strong foundations and we need to build it during the pre-season because the Championship is a very hard, very tough league, we need to be consistent all the time and this is the main purpose.”
Le Bris on his coaching style
RLB: “I like the game, really. I like to understand the game. I like to develop players. I like to develop the team and I like to share my ideas with the players. When we are linked with the game, we can build many, many, many improvements. Of course, we need also to create an atmosphere to improve. And these two ideas are for me the main ideas. And what are your hopes for the upcoming season? I hope that we will link to our identity very quickly.
“And for sure, with the quality of the players, with the foundation of the club, with the energy of the fans, we will perform very well. Obviously, they are still an opponent and the game is always unpredictable. But if we perform with our identity and our talented players, for sure, we will perform well.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.