Do Sunderland Stand A Chance In The Premier League?

On the surface, the answer seems a straightforward one. No. The struggles in recent years of fellow Championship sides taking the giant step up to the Premier League, only for them to come crashing back down to the second tier in English football, shows the mammoth task that lies ahead for Sunderland. However when taking a closer look at this year's team under the management of Regis Le Bris, there are reasons for Black Cats fans to be optimistic.

The Abundance of Talent in the Youth

Sunderland has a plethora of talent within their squad, which you might think comes from a blend of youth and experience. That’s where you would be wrong as the Black Cats had the youngest average age starting line-up in the Championship this season with an average age of 22.4 years. In fact, Regis Le Bris fielded six of the seven youngest teams in the Championship, with Steven Schumacher’s Stoke City being the only other side. It shows that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough, and that’s exactly what this Sunderland side showed when they came back from 1-0 down to beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the play-off final.

The average age of the starting XI against the Blades was 22.9 years old, which dropped to 22.6 years old when Luke Nien, aged 30, was replaced by Chris Mepham, aged 27, eight minutes into the match. The lack of experience and knowledge of playing in these big games looked to be a problem heading into the play-offs. However the players took what could’ve been a potential problem and turned it into an opportunity to change the narrative and write their own story. Play-off final goal scorers Eliezer Mayenda, 20, and Tom Watson, 19, are perfect examples of how Sunderland took the occasion by the scruff of the neck.

👶 22 years, 178 days.

The youngest starting XI in the @SkyBetChamp this season 📈#SAFC pic.twitter.com/Y1r1Mu0G5A
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) April 24, 2023

How Have Recently Promoted Teams Fared in the Premier League?

If you were to only look at the last six teams to get promoted to the Premier League, then you would see that all six got relegated the following year back to the Championship. You would be forgiven for thinking that it’s impossible for Championship teams to cut it in the best league in the world. However once you start to look back a couple years further, it becomes apparent that not all hope is lost for Sunderland.

In the 2021/22 Championship season Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest all won promotion to England’s highest division. They not only all went on to avoid relegation that season, but laid down the foundations to make it as established Premier League clubs. Fast forward to the present day and Nottingham Forest just qualified for the Conference League after losing out on Champions League football by one point. Bournemouth have finished the season on a club-record 56 points, and Fulham comfortably ended the campaign mid-table. So despite all the pessimistic views writing off Sunderland before they have even kicked a ball, recent years have shown us that it’s possible to survive in the Premier League as a newly promoted club.

All three promoted teams have achieved Premier League safety.

◽️ Fulham
◽️ Bournemouth
◽️ Nottingham Forest pic.twitter.com/rF8fg1bayu
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 20, 2023

How Sunderland Have Defied the Odds

Since being relegated from the Premier League in the 2016/17 season, Sunderland haven’t had an easy rise back to England’s top flight. They compounded their 20th place finish in the Premier League with a 24th place finish in the Championship the following season to earn relegation to League One. It would be only the second time in the clubs 146-year history that they would be relegated to the third tier of English football. The Black Cats went on to spend four consecutive seasons in League One and reached the play-offs three times.

They lost the play-off final 2-1 against Charlton in the 2018/19 season and crashed out in the semi-finals against Lincoln City in the 2020/21 season. After three successive campaigns in League One and a fourth on the way, it looked like the Black Cats had lost their way with a return to the Premier League seeming farfetched. The club failed to learn from past mistakes in the play-offs which resulted in an agonising watch for the fans. However they eventually learnt their lesson as it was third time lucky for Sunderland as they beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 in the play-off final to secure promotion back to the Championship.

They went on to finish the 2022/23 season in 6th place, earning them a spot in the play-offs and a chance for back-to-back promotions. They were beat over two legs by Luton Town who went on to achieve promotion to the Premier League. The Black Cats failed to carry their momentum into the following campaign with the club finishing the season in 16th position. During that season Sunderland manager Michael Beale was sacked in February 2024, with the club only appointing a new permanent manager in June 2024. His name was Regis Le Bris, who at the time had just got Lorient relegated from Ligue 1.

A manager coming fresh off the back of relegation, coupled with an inexperienced and youthful team meant that Sunderland fans didn’t know what to expect coming into this campaign. But yet again as Sunderland have proved over recent years, they have made a habit of defying the odds and achieving what many thought was impossible. The Black Cats stormed their way to 4th place this season, with Le Bris managing to engineer a system to get the best out of a young side.

Despite the talent and flair within the squad, the lack of experience took a toll on the team as they lost their last five games of the season and were winless in their last seven heading into the play-offs. But Sunderland beat the odds again when they conquered Coventry in the semi-finals before overcoming favourites Sheffield United 2-1 in the final. The fact that Sunderland went 1-0 down and scored a 95th minute winner to secure promotion to the Premier League sums up the resurgence of the fallen giant.