The Sunderland head coach has moved to strengthen his coaching group ahead of the 2026/27 campaign

Régis Le Bris says José Fonte's knowledge of European football and recent playing experience will add something different to Sunderland's coaching group.

Fonte began work as a new coach on Wearside on Monday, having taken the decision to end his playing career at the end of last season. The former Southampton and Portugal defender has played at multiple major international tournaments, and been part of numerous European campaigns at club level across his long career.

Le Bris says his playing experience adds a different dimension to the coaching group. The Sunderland head coach was happy with the existing coaching structure he had in place for the final months of the 2026/27 campaign, and believes Fonte can add something without detracting from what was working as the club surged to Europa League qualification.

"We've had different set-ups in the last two seasons, it takes time to find the right balance between different roles," he said.

"I really enjoyed the last part, the last four or five months. I think we were really balanced and the working flow was really good. With José Fonte, we have a totally different profile from a high-level professional player with good experience, high standards, good knowledge of European football as well.

"So he will add something new in the coaching staff without disturbing the whole workflow. We don't have his profile in the coaching staff, so I hope we'll find the right balance."

Fonte will work with the existing coaching staff of Michael Proctor and Alessandro Barcherini, James Brayne (set pieces), Isidre Ramón Madir (Chief Analyst) and Neil Cutler (Goalkeeping).

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What Florent Ghisolfi said about José Fonte’s arrival at Sunderland

“José joins our coaching team with a wealth of experience as a player at the top level,” Ghisolfi said.

“He will bring that experience, along with tremendous energy, to a technical staff that is already performing outstandingly under the guidance of Régis. We believe those qualities, combined with his strong leadership skills, will add great value to our club as we look to push forward both in the Premier League and on the European stage. We’re delighted to welcome José to Sunderland AFC.”

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