The transfer window has slammed shut, and for Sunderland, it has the potential to be our best. It’s certainly the one where we’ve spent the most money, by some distance, but our spending doesn’t feel rash or uncalculated because we simply don’t operate like that anymore. 14 players have been signed up, and when you look at the players across the pitch, you can make an argument that we’ve upgraded in every position. Last season, the argument was made that we needed more experience in the team, and that we definitely
needed at least top-flight experience. Ideally, players had lots of Premier League games under their belts. This summer, the hierarchy has ticked these boxes several times over. We have players who have hundreds of appearances in Europe’s top leagues and also in European competition. Some players have proven their quality, others have bags of potential. It is the latter that is exciting at Sunderland because we have shown in recent years that we know how to develop potential.
One of the most important signings this summer may not even have been a player. Recruiting Florent Ghisolfi into the setup was an indication of what the club wanted to do and that they believed he was the man to help us do it. It’s hard to say how many of our signings he has helped make happen, but his being part of the recruitment group (along with KLD, RLB, Speakman, and Stuart Harvey) will have made a huge difference in getting deals done.
Xhaka will be the standout signing to many, and for good reason. Yet we have signed some quality players who, if things click, could make this a brilliant campaign for Sunderland. It will be a tough year, there’s no doubt about it, but our summer window has told the Premier League that we want to be here to not just make the numbers up.
Even the departures, and there have been a few, feel as though they have been done with the players’ best interests at heart. Alan Browne to Middlesbrough, Patrick Roberts to Birmingham, and Jenson Seelt to Wolfsburg are three particular good moves for players moving to sides that will benefit from their services. All of these players will hopefully be able to continue growing as players elsewhere.
Our new players have taken to the club so well. We’ve got Granit Xhaka with the captain’s armband, belting out ‘Wise Men Say’ after our second win in three Premier League games. We’ve got Noah Sadiki dancing with Eliezer Mayenda and the lads giving the under-nines squad one of the best days ever by training with and having a kick-around with them.
This summer has been transformational for Sunderland, on and off the pitch. The future is the brightest it’s ever looked on Wearside, and we’ve already shown that we are going to give the Premier League our best shot. Our signings show ambition and a drive to move forward with what our goal is as a club. We don’t know where the ceiling is for this group, but we do know that it’s going to be a hell of a ride – whatever happens between now and May.
