Regis Le Bris press conference: New Sunderland boss on transfers, backroom staff, pre-season and more
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New Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris spoke to the media for the first time.
The 48-year-old has signed a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light, following a 12-year association with French side FC Lorient. Le Bris is preparing for his first friendly fixtures with Sunderland, while the club are also looking to strengthen in the transfer market.
Here’s what was said at the Academy of Light.
Regis Le Bris press conference
Good Morning!
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Regis Le Bris’ first press conference as Sunderland head coach.
The new Black Cats boss is set to speak to the media at 1:30pm, and we’ll have live updates from the Academy of Light right here.
Stick around and refresh the page for live updates and the latest Sunderland news throughout the day.
What Le Bris has said so far
While Le Bris will be asked several questions this afternoon, including his thoughts on transfers, pre-season, recruitment and more, the Frenchman spoke about his appointment on Wearside during a club interview last week.
Here are some of the things he had to say:
On joining Sunderland
“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.”


More from Le Bris
On Sunderland’s squad
“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.”
On his coaching style
“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.”
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What Kristjaan Speakman has said
Sunderland’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman also spoke to the club’s YouTube channel about Le Bris’s appointment. Here are some of the key things he had to say:
On appointing Le Bris
“First of all, everyone's really excited to be back. It's great to get the first day's training. The weather's not been so kind to us today, but it won't jeopardise our work. I think in Regis, you're just getting a really thoughtful, really diligent, really detailed coach, tactically really astute.
“And everything he'll be doing will be geared towards developing the group, developing the team, the individual focus and ultimately winning games. I think acquiring a head coach is always a complex process.”


More from Speakman
Apologises for communication issues
“But I think it would be remiss of us not to mention the fact that our comms wasn't great over the summer. That wasn't intentional. You know, the plan was to go out early with information. That became a little bit difficult with how that process went.
“And even when Kyril made his statement in early June, it was several weeks later that we were actually able to conclude the deal and announce Regis as the head coach. So, we'll certainly try to improve that element and we really, really respect the patience.”
On last season’s disappointment
“Ultimately, no one's happy with how certainly the second part of that season went. There's a little dose of failure there for the staff, the players and myself and that's not necessarily a bad thing in terms of our drive and desire to want to get better.
“You know, it's always important to be learning and we're always trying to learn. And we've learned a lot about ourselves and each other in that period. I think, hopefully, it just makes us stronger for the season coming up.”
Le Bris on joining Sunderland
“Happy to be here. I’m very happy to be on the pitch also. Obviously for me it’s a great opportunity to be here in this club because of the mentality, the fans, the culture also.
“I wanted to train abroad and this opportunity is very exciting.”
An incredible opportunity
“For me it was a question of a project. If I want to be the best version of me I need to find a project that is in line with this idea.
“This opportunity is incredible for me. The fans, the environment is very exciting for me.”
Le Bris on playing catch up
“We are searching for the ideal situation but it’s a complex process to find a new coach and recruit the players. We would like to be in the best situation but it never happens so we have to be ready.”
Le Bris on his backroom staff
“We have a process of interviews which is running right now. For the whole organisation it’s a goal to work with the best teammates. “
Le Bris on the Sunderland squad
“I analysed many videos before so I wasn’t surprised on the pitch. It’s a talented team, very young. The last two seasons were very interesting for the experience. The experience is very important but is not always linked to the age. The mindset had to be to improve.”
Le Bris on Sunderland's vision
“I think the vision is very important. Here with the owner and sporting director they are very clear with their goals. We also need to be very clear about the identity of the club and how we want to achieve our goals.
“We have the team, we have the coaching staff and all the parts of the club are very well organised. With this structure, we can train and express our strengths.”
Le Bris on whether Sunderland can play his preferred style
“It is still hard to say. I have only four training sessions and the main thing to assess these things is the games.”
Le Bris on Sunderland's recruitment process
“I’m comfortable with the process right now. I don’t know the result because it is very complex. I’m comfortable with the process. The team is young but the two previous seasons they gained some experience so I think it’s useful for the next events. We are looking at one or two more experienced players for the Championship. These kind of players could be young, could be older.”
Le Bris on recruitment meetings
“We have some meetings every day about the team. Here the club wants to understand my game model and to assess the players. They bring me some information and we are working together.”
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