Régis Le Bris reportedly makes Sunderland transfer demand to Kristjaan Speakman ahead of January window
Sunderland’s head coach has reportedly made certain transfer demands to decision-makers at the club
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris reportedly expects to be backed with new signings during the upcoming January transfer window.
The Black Cats have made a flying start to the 2024-25 season and currently sit at the top of the Championship on goal difference after nine games played. Sunderland, under new head coach Le Bris, have won six of their opening games with two losses and a draw in the league.
However, fresh reports this week have suggested that the Frenchman already has an eye on the January transfer window and will demand reinforcements. That’s according to Football Insider, who have stated: “Le Bris has let it be known to Sunderland he wants to be backed heavily in the January transfer window if his side are still in promotion contention.” Their report adds: “Sources say the Frenchman is keen to be backed to give his side the best chance of securing automatic promotion if they are still in contention come January.”
Sunderland’s transfers are under the control of sporting director Kristjaan Speakman with input from head of recruitment Stuart Harvey and Le Bris alongside the club’s owners Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori. During a recent interview, Speakman reiterated his desire to take the Wearsiders back to the Premier League.
“I think after these two periods of the games, either side of the previous international window, to be sat where we are is obviously really, really pleasing,” Speakman said of Sunderland’s league position to the Second Tier podcast recently. ”I think it's good for everyone that's associated with the football club, whether it's the technical staff, the wider staff, the business team that are obviously trying to move the club forward and the supporters.
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“This is where we want to be. We want to be at the top end of the table and we want to be challenging for the top end for promotion. That's where we want to be. So at the minute, we're really, really pleased, but we're not being complacent in any shape or form. We're going to continue to keep working really, really diligently and really hard.”
“I think there's always a difference between ambition and expectation,” Speakman added on Sunderland’s flying start to the season. “I think our ambition is to be a Premier League team and then our expectation is to be competing at the top end of the table and you never quite know. It's a small batch of games, even at this present time and obviously, you're playing certain opposition.
“We've played teams in the top end of the table. We've played some teams at the bottom end of the table at the minute and overall, we're really, really pleased. I think once we get nearer to the halfway mark, we'll probably be able to take a little bit more stock of where we're at and where we feel we're at.”