Sunderland are preparing for their third season under Regis Le Bris and will be targeting further success.

Regis Le Bris has firmly established himself as a firm favourite with Sunderland fans after leading the Black Cats through one of the most exciting periods in their recent history.

There was some surprise when the former Lorient head coach was appointed at the Stadium of Light during the summer of 2024 - but any doubts about his ability has been cast aside in stunning fashion. Success was found within his first 12 months on Wearside as the Frenchman led his side to promotion into the Premier League at the first attempt with a Championship play-off final win against Sheffield United on a truly memorable day at Wembley.

With talk of a relegation battle and a season of struggle dominating preparations for their return to the Premier League, Sunderland made a mockery of such predictions by claiming notable results against the likes of Newcastle United, Arsenal and Chelsea to secure a seventh placed finish and a place in the Europa League. Le Bris’ calm and composed approach to life on and off the pitch has played no small part in a remarkable upturn in fortunes for the Black Cats and he remains highly valued with the Stadium of Light hierarchy.

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

Former Sunderland and Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton has been impressed with the impact Le Bris has made since his appointment just under two years ago - and he insisted other clubs will be ‘monitoring his situation’ on the back of what he has achieved during his time on Wearside. Speaking to The Echo via Best Betting Bonuses, the former Black Cats full-back said: “With the season they’ve had, for a team getting promoted to finish seventh, being in the Europa League, he’s doing something right and they’ve spent a lot of money with a lot of new players. There’s a big turnover there so to get that all correct, and then moving in the right direction, he’s definitely doing something right. I’d imagine there’ll be people monitoring his situation because as it stands right now, his stock will be very high.”

Match-day action, exclusive analysis team news and much more when you sign up for our SAFC newsletter - it’s free to join

Stability

Expectations are high ahead of a historic season as Le Bris and his players prepare to compete on four fronts throughout a packed campaign after securing a place in Europe with last season’s seventh placed finish. Hutton has insisted a mid-table finish would ‘go down as a success’ for the Black Cats given the additional strain they will be under competing in the Europa League.

“That’s some question,” replied the Scot when asked where Sunderland could finish during the upcoming season. “You’re looking for stability. I know there expectation when they went up - but it’s about being in the Premier League so anything above relegation zone you would think. Especially with Europe. But with everything that happened last season so they’ll be aiming for just as high, if not higher. If they can finish in that tenth position with being in Europe, I think that would go down as a success.”

Your next Sunderland read: Why Eliezer Mayenda could be on the move this summer explained and the big call Florent Ghisfoli has to make