Sunderland AFC news: Fans deliver clear message to Kyril Louis-Dreyfus on 2023-24 season aims

Louis-Dreyfus and co-owner Juan Sartori both recently increased their shareholdings in the club. In a club statement last week, it was confirmed that Louis-Dreyfus had increased his stake to 58% (up from 51%), with Juan Sartori increasing his percentage to 33% (up from 30%). That means former chairman Stewart Donald has reduced his stake from 19% to just 9%.

The news was well-received on Wearside with fans mostly pleased that Donald’s shareholding had reduced whilst questions surrounding the exact nature of Sartori’s involvement surfaced once again ahead of next season.

The Black Cats flirted with the play-offs on various occasions during the current Championship campaign after promotion from League One in the play-off final at Wembley against Wycombe Wanderers.

However, that particular dream looks to be over in terms of the current campaign. Sunderland are currently 11th in the table and seven points off the top six with eight games left to play.

With that in mind, The Echo asked Sunderland fans a simple question: What should Sunderland’s aim be next season (assuming they miss out on the play-offs)?

Just 2.5 per cent of the 1,021 fans polled think that the club should aim to avoid relegation next season, whilst 8.9 per cent say the Black Cats should look at a mid-table position.

However, a whopping 71.2 per cent of fans think Sunderland should be aiming to reach the play-offs next season, with 17.4 per cent believing the Wearsiders should aim for automatic promotion.

Sunderland fans were also quick to add their reasoning on social media, with Twitter user @MackemAnalyst saying: “It’s such a tough thing to know until the transfer window is over - but the aim has and should always be top 6. But that doesn’t mean it’s an expectation.”

Dean Cummings added: “Making the play-offs. We've had a glimpse of what this squad is capable of this season. Focus on recruiting in the areas where we are obviously short and recruit properly.. there’s no reason why we can't aim for top six.”