Wilson Isidor hails Sunderland's capture of ex-Arsenal and Dortmund expert and Arsene Wenger ally

Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor has praised the impact of newly appointed Head of First Team Performance Shad Forsythe, describing his arrival as a major turning point in the club’s Premier League campaign.

Speaking to L’Équipe, Isidor said Forsythe’s influence has transformed the team’s training standards and physical preparation since joining from Borussia Dortmund ahead of the new season. “The intensity is crazy,” Isidor said. “We’re coming off a tough pre-season with few wins, then we beat West Ham. The turning point was that the coach brought us a performance manager [Shad Forsythe], who had been at Arsenal and Dortmund.

“He arrived just before the first league match, and he changed a lot of things in training. We’re doing a lot more physical training, which the coach integrated into his sessions. We immediately understood that this was what we needed.”

Forsythe’s appointment, which was announced to the world earlier this month, represents another key step in Sunderland’s off-field development under Régis Le Bris and sporting director Florent Ghisolfi. The American performance expert boasts an elite-level CV, having spent almost two decades with Germany’s national team, including during their 2014 World Cup triumph, and eight years at Arsenal, where he worked closely with Arsène Wenger.

Brought to north London by Wenger following the World Cup, Forsythe served as the Gunners’ Head of High Performance and became a trusted figure within the club’s backroom staff, helping modernise Arsenal’s physical and recovery programmes. He later turned down an approach from AC Milan in 2018 to remain in England before eventually joining Borussia Dortmund in 2022, where he spent three seasons as Head of Performance.

Before moving into football full-time, Forsythe worked as a Performance Manager for EXOS, a leading US-based sports science company. It was there that he met Jürgen Klinsmann, who later invited him to join the German national setup when he became head coach in 2004. Forsythe has since worked with some of football’s biggest names, including Per Mertesacker, Mesut Özil and Lukas Podolski, both at international level and later at Arsenal.

His arrival at Sunderland marks a significant coup for the Wearside club, whose commitment to cutting-edge performance methods has been a hallmark of Le Bris’ tenure. As the Black Cats look to cement their Premier League status this season, the addition of a figure with Forsythe’s pedigree – and his close links to Wenger and Dortmund’s world-class systems – signals Sunderland’s intent to build a sustainable, high-performance culture for the long term.

What did Ruben Amorim say after Manchester United vs Sunderland?

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim praised his side’s composure and defensive discipline following their 2–0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday – describing the performance as a “step in the right direction” after a challenging start to the campaign.

First-half goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Šeško secured all three points for United, who managed the game well after the break to claim a clean sheet against Régis Le Bris’ Sunderland. Amorim admitted his team weren’t at their best for the full 90 minutes but was encouraged by the focus and maturity shown throughout.

“A clean sheet is very important,” Amorim said. “We didn't play well through all of the game but we had our moments, but the main thing was our performance as a team. We were focused, defended well, trying to kill the game in the second half. I'm pleased with that and now we need to move forward. [Goalkeeper Senne Lammens] did well, he looked confident but the team helped him to do this because everyone was focused, not many mistakes, against a team that is really comfortable playing football. So we did well.”

The United boss also highlighted the impact of Amad Diallo’s return to the starting XI, describing it as “massive for his team” following the winger’s influential display. Amorim was asked if he felt any frustration that his side would not be able to build on the win due to the international break, but said his key focus was ensuring his team can show this solidity away from home as well as at Old Trafford.

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"The main frustration for me is not to see the same team at home and away," Amorim said. "You saw today, we didn't play well in the second half but we were focused, we fought for the second balls. The small things are going to help you win games. Sometimes you have your moments and in the first half we had a lot of these, but then the second half if we cannot play well [we will make sure] they will not play well, that is what the big teams do throughout a season."

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