Kyril Louis-Dreyfus praised for passion by ex-Sunderland, Leeds United and England defender

Sunderland chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has been praised for bringing passion back to the club by former left-back Micky Gray.

The billionaire has been involved with the club since 2021 and has overseen a return to the Championship after four tough years in League One under Stewart Donald.

“We have had our ups and downs, haven’t we? And we couldn’t really get much lower when we slipped to League One," former Sunderland defender Gray told The Echo.

“It shouldn’t be a position where this club ever finds itself, whether you want to point the finger at ownerships or not, it is down to the players and we didn’t get the results that were expected at the time.

"We are in a lot better place now. You think of what Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is doing at the club now. He is a young enthusiastic chairman. He has certainly bought into the football club in the sense that I see him at games, which is what you need.

"You need to show that passion. The ownership has shown that passion and it filters down to the management and it filters down to the players, and I think you can feel the passion in the stadium now. Everyone is on the same page and I think that is why it has been so successful."

Gray earned 410 appearances for his boyhood club and was recently inducted into the club's Hall of Fame; alongside Steph Bannon, Gary Bennett and others.

The 49-year-old won two promotions with Sunderland as a first-team player between 1992 and 2004 before enjoying stints with Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Celtic.