James Copley’s Sunderland notebook: Tom Burwell and Florent Ghisolfi impressions, pre-season, and why scrutiny matters

Thanks, as always, to everyone who continues to read these notebooks. They have become a useful place to slow things down a little, step away from the daily rush of news lines and try to make sense of where Sunderland actually are.

That feels especially important at the moment, because the club is moving quickly. Very quickly, in fact. The jump from Championship play-off winners to Premier League side, European qualifiers, and a club now talking seriously about revenue growth, global reach and higher standards has been dramatic.

This notebook looks at a few of the smaller details around that shift. The absence of familiar local pre-season friendlies, first impressions of Florent Ghisolfi, the clear change in tone behind the scenes, and why Sunderland deserve credit for opening the doors to the media while still being held to proper scrutiny. This notebook looks at a few of the smaller details around that shift.

Florent Ghisolfi feels unlike anything Sunderland have had before

We met Florent Ghisolfi this week, and I came away fascinated by him. His style is different. There is a slight maverick feel to him, and I mean that in a good way. He is very European in his methods, very involved, driven and clearly close to the football operation.

What came across strongly is how closely he works with Régis Le Bris. He is involved around the team, the coaches, the dressing room and the wider mentality of the club. He feels like active support to the head coach rather than a distant executive figure.

The most revealing part was hearing him speak about Sunderland reaching 40 points and refusing to allow the club to rest on its laurels. He spoke to players and staff about not drifting, not switching off and not accepting that survival was enough.

That tied into something else he said: that there was an element of frustration around Sunderland finishing seventh. That sounds ridiculous on the surface. A newly-promoted club finishing seventh and qualifying for Europe is an outstanding achievement.

But Ghisolfi’s point was not that Sunderland had failed. It was that he believed they could have done even more. That tells you something about his ambition. He is ruthless in that sense. Not cold, not reckless, but absolutely demanding. I was fascinated to meet him because I had heard so much from people around the academy and wider club. Sometimes the most revealing things are not public statements, but little comments people make in passing.

What has struck me is that even in off-the-record conversations, where people are usually more likely to offer caveats, the feedback around Ghisolfi has been positive. That does not mean he will get everything right. Nobody does. But he has clearly made a strong internal impression quickly.

Good vibes, but scrutiny still matters

There is a clear difference in professionalism and style between people like Ghisolfi and Tom Burwell and what Sunderland had during the Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven era. That previous regime said a lot. They promised a lot. They tied themselves in knots at times and ultimately paid the price with supporters, who have a very low tolerance for broken promises and horse manure.

Burwell and Ghisolfi were very different. They did not overpromise. They did not come in with grandstanding lines or easy soundbites. They set out the stall clearly: Sunderland want to drive the club forward, they believe they can, and they feel they have the backing of ownership to do it. I genuinely got good vibes from both figures.

Burwell spoke with clarity about revenue, expansion, the Stadium of Light and the need to grow without damaging the relationship with supporters. Ghisolfi spoke with conviction about standards, recruitment, the academy, the head coach and the culture he wants Sunderland to build. It felt serious. It felt professional. It felt aligned. But - and this is important - that does not mean scrutiny goes away.

As a media group and as a fanbase, scrutiny has to remain high. Sunderland have a lot of credit in the bank, and rightly so. The progress on and off the pitch has been remarkable, and the people now in key positions deserve respect for that. But the proof is always in the pudding.

Football clubs are ultimately judged by what happens next: the decisions they make, the people they appoint, the players they sign, the promises they keep and the direction they take. Sunderland are in a brilliant place. That does not mean they should be given a free pass. If anything, the stakes are higher now because the opportunity is so much bigger.

Sunderland deserve credit for opening the doors

It is also worth saying that Sunderland deserve credit for setting the meeting up. Their media team continues to be excellent in this regard. Over several summers now, the club have made important figures available to the local press pack and the wider media. That genuinely helps supporters understand what is going on.

I do not think we need to hear from these people all the time. In fact, the Donald and Methven years are probably a pretty good argument against that. Constant visibility can quickly become noise, especially if words start running ahead of actions. But there are moments when it is important.

This was one of them. Sunderland have qualified for Europe, their profile is growing, their revenue plans are becoming increasingly important, their academy is changing, and they are operating at a new level. Supporters deserve some insight into how the people running the club are thinking. Burwell and Ghisolfi gave their time, and the club should be applauded for facilitating it.

Hopefully that continues, because in my experience Sunderland are very good in this area. There is always a balance to strike, but access like this is useful. It allows questions to be asked, ideas to be tested and supporters to hear directly from the people shaping the next stage.

No local double-headers underlines Sunderland’s rapid shift

One of the small disappointments of Sunderland’s pre-season schedule is the absence of those familiar North East non-league trips. There is no Hebburn Town, South Shields or Gateshead friendly this summer, which is a shame because those games have become enjoyable fixtures in recent years.

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The double-headers, in particular, offered something different - a chance to get around the region, watch different groups of players and spend a bit of time at some really good local grounds. Hebburn and South Shields, especially, are lovely places to watch football. There is something refreshing about those afternoons, away from the scale of the Stadium of Light, with a proper local feel and a reminder of the strength of the football scene across the North East.

But in a way, the absence of those fixtures also tells its own story. Sunderland have moved quickly. Very quickly. This is now a Premier League club preparing for European football, and the level of opposition required in pre-season has naturally changed with that. There is no disrespect intended to anyone in the non-league game because Sunderland’s support for football across the region remains strong and important. But from a purely footballing perspective, the club now need a different level of test.

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