'Incredible': Kristjaan Speakman delivers Régis Le Bris verdict and answers contract question

Kristjaan Speakman believes that Sunderland are in a strong position should Régis Le Bris's impressive work at Sunderland attract interest from other clubs.

Le Bris oversaw the club's promotion back to the Premier League in is first season on Wearside, having been appointed in July of last year on a three-year contract. Sunderland's sporting director has been holding talks with the Frenchman about the upcoming transfer window and the challenge of trying to maintain Sunderland's top-tier status.

Speakman believes that the club have real stability and strong foundations from which to build. The terms of Le Bris’s contract are like many of the playing staff highly likely to have improved as a result of promotion and with two years left to run on that deal, the club appear comfortable with their position.

“First and foremost, Régis has committed to the Sunderland project," Speakman said.

"From the way that he’s gone about his work, all the conversations we’ve had with him, planning and strategising ahead of next season, I think he’s thoroughly enjoyed his time and his work here. You come to one of the biggest clubs in England, and he’s been instrumental in helping us solve that last piece of the jigsaw in terms of being able to get back to the Premier League. Now, he has a chance of being a Premier League coach and pitting his wits against some of the best coaches in world football. I know he’s really looking forward to that. In terms of his contract, we’re in a really good spot with that so there’s not really an issue there that I need to comment on. We’re all just focused on the games that are going to be coming up."

Kristjaan Speakman delivers verdict on Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris

Speakman described Le Bris's achievement in winning promotion in his first season as Sunderland boss as 'incredible' and hailed his calm demeanour in leading the club through the rigours of a Championship campaign.

"It's an incredible achievement to have success when you come to a new league, and let's not forget that he came on his own," Speakman said.

"He's embraced everything that Sunderland is, he's imparted his style, thoughts and philosophies on top of that. It's been a really positive collaboration so far. I'm really pleased for him and he's one of the most hardworking coaches I've seen, not just in terms of the breadth of work that he does but also the level of detail that he goes into. He performs a number of functions that normal head coaches don't do, so you've got to applaud him for what he's put into this club.

"He's got a really calm personality and that was one of the things that came through when we did our research on him in the first place. I think over the course of the season there are so many highs and lows, personally I'm a fan of not getting too high or too low and I think Régis is the poster boy for that really. From our perspective it's really good to have a head coach where when you come into work every day, whether you've won, done well or lost, there's absolute consistency. I think the players really respect that because it gives the foundation to keep developing."

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