A 2-1 win over Chelsea secured Europa League football for Sunderland next season and was a fitting end to one of the most memorable campaigns in the club’s modern history.
Here, Phil Smith grades each and every member of the first-team squad and previews how their campaigns might impact the work that director of football Florent Ghisolfi does in the transfer market this summer.
Only players who featured in the Premier League this season and who remain contracted to the club at this stage feature.
21. Simon Adingra
It speaks much for the success of Sunderland’s transfer business last summer that Adingra would be considered one of the big disappointments - he made some important early contributions and scored one of the goals of the season to earn his team a key point at home to Leeds. Yet it was clear at times he struggled with the defensive responsibilities Le Bris demands from his wingers, and it made sense when he went on loan to Monaco. He did well there and if they don’t trigger their option then it leaves Sunderland with an interesting dilemma - now that they are evolving as an attacking side do they try again with an obviously talented forward player? C | Frank Reid
22. Romaine Mundle
His campaign was bookended by two serious hamstring injuries that meant he never really had the chance to build momentum and rhythm. As such, we never quite saw him at his best and so didn’t see him get the run of games he probably needs. Just needs a proper pre-season to try and make an impact because at times he looked a real threat. C | Chris Fryatt
23. Nilson Angulo
Didn’t make a huge impact after arriving in January mainly due to a fairly significant injury that curtailed his progress, but demonstrated a very pleasing willingness to track back and do the defensive work. Has speed and an ability to beat his man, he just needs time to develop his end product and physicality. Like Ta Bi, pre season will be key and how the pair fare behind the scenes will be crucial to see whether they go out on loan and Sunderland recruit further. N/A | Nilson Angulo of Sunderland against Port Vale. Photo by Chris Fryatt.
24. Wilson Isidor
An exceptional start to the season and then finished strongly with contributions off the bench that were vital in Sunderland’s climb to seventh and the Europa League. The upshot is that this therefore represented a very solid debut Premier League campaign, but there were long spells of frustration for the striker as he struggled to make an impact through the winter months. Has been persistent talk of an exit this summer but the extra games and the way he finished this season showed he should stay if he wants too. B+ | Getty Images