Sunderland have made an impressive start to the new Premier League campaign

Former Premier League winger Jermaine Pennant has admitted that Sunderland have proven him wrong with their stellar start to the new season.

The Black Cats are currently fourth in the top flight table after 10 matches, and have lost just twice in the league this term. To that end, they have far exceeded the expectations of many, but Pennant was one pundit who was particularly dismissive of their chances prior to a ball being kicked.

Speaking on the Wildcards podcast with Jermaine Jenas back in August, the 42-year-old said: “Come on... Sunderland are poo-poo. No disrespect to Sunderland, but come on”, before insisting that the Black Cats didn’t have enough talent to “handle the Prem” and concluding: “Listen, they know they're on, like, a holiday. It's like, it's going to be great to be there. But they are not sitting there thinking, ‘Yeah, guys, we can stay in the Premier League.’”

What has Jermaine Pennant said about Sunderland’s start to the new season?

But in an exclusive interview with The Echo, courtesy of NewBettingOffers.co.uk, Pennant has explained the reasoning behind his comments, and admitted that Sunderland have impressed and surprised him so far.

He said: “You know, I did a podcast and I did interviews, and I was saying that they were bankers to get relegated. The basis of that answer was that I watched them in the play-offs against Sheffield United, and they didn’t deserve to win that game at all. Sheffield United were the better team, so I was basing it off that team, off that performance - that kind of performance in the Premier League, you will get found out and you won’t have a good time.

“But the team that play now, there are two starters [from last season], so they’ve made nine new signings, literally ripped the team apart, and it’s a new team. This team now looks capable of staying in the Premier League. This team looks good - especially at the Stadium of Light. We’ve seen Everton struggle there, they’ve gone to Chelsea and got a result, so yeah, I think they are now proving me wrong, which is fine. I can even say that I got it wrong, but I was basing it on the team that I saw. This team now has definitely got enough, I reckon, to stay in the Premier League.”

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Pennant was also asked about the possibility of Sunderland securing a top half finish after owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus hinted in an interview with Sky Sports that that was now his target for the campaign, to which the ex-winger responded: “Look, yes, they’re fourth, but there are 28 games to go. There’s a lot of adrenaline going on in Sunderland at the minute. Everyone is over the moon - fans, players - rightly so. But can that continue? It’s yet to be seen.

“I think, for me, it’s, ‘Stay anywhere in the league’. Do not get relegated. Everyone can have high hopes, but on the basis of where they are, the chairman is right to say, ‘Yeah, let’s finish in the top 10’, but I think it could be difficult. If you look at the teams who are not in that top 10 [at the present moment], you’ve got Newcastle, Brentford, Villa - they’ve all still got to get there, so someone is going to drop out. Over a 38-game season, I think it could be difficult. Anywhere from 11th, 12th, 13th, would be a fantastic season for Sunderland.”

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