Sunderland state of play: 4 new signings, Le Bris' non-negotiables, Europa fears
It's been a slow start to the window for Regis Le Bris' Black Cats, welcoming just 34-year-old Thomas Meunier as a free agent thus far. And while the Belgian full-back is a quality signing within his own right, bringing a wealth of experience at the highest levels with him, fans are starting to grow anxious that the club haven't made tracks with some of our 'problem positions' - so to speak.
It's evident that Sunderland are in desperate need of reinforcement across the board. Sure, nobody is expecting a repeat of the full first-team overhaul that Florent Ghisolfi and Kristjaan Speakman executed around this time last year, but there are evidently certain positions which lack depth at present.
And Sunderland's success this coming season could ultimately be made or broken dependent on rotation and extra cover - considering the club will have Europa League football to juggle with their domestic league and cup competitions.
To say that 2025/26 was a Cinderella story for Sunderland would be the understatement of the century. The Black Cats scraped Premier League football for the season through the Championship play-offs with a team which lacked any form of experience outside of Luke O'Nien, Alan Browne and Simon Moore.
As a result, the club were written off as relegation fodder by the media, fans and pundits across the country. However, in reality, Le Bris managed to mastermind the club's most successful season in the English top flight in modern history.
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After bringing in 17 fresh faces (inclusive of Enzo Le Fee's loan from Roman being made permanent), Sunderland managed a seventh-place Premier League finish to secure European football for just the second time in the club's history.
However, the opportunity to travel the continent and play some of the world's most prestigious teams isn't without its setbacks. Sunderland will know fine well just how turbulent parts of last season were through injury to some of their most vital players, as well as losing an abundance of others to AFCON for the best part of a month.
With a minimum of two games a week to play when Europa League lands, the likelihood of further injury to players will skyrocket - unless Le Bris is able to properly rotate his squad. Any injury would jeopardise both domestic and European hopes, meaning that Sunderland will have to invest massively this summer, while also treading UEFA's financial rules and regulations carefully to avoid any form of sanction.
All things considered, there are a number of 'problem positions' that are in dire need of reinforcement if Sunderland hope to sink rather than swim next term. While Reinildo Mandava is a nailed on starter at left-back, the Red and White Wizards don't have a comfortable player behind him for rotational purposes - especially following Dennis Cirkin's exit.
And with Reinildo into the twilight years of his career at 32, even the most optimistic of fans wouldn't risk putting faith in the Mozambique international playing every single fixture next season, domestically and in Europe. That would be an injury waiting to happen.
While Fenerbahce's Archie Brown has been touted as a potential target, any momentum in securing the 22-year-old left-back seems to have stalled, meaning that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' board may have to go back to the drawing board.
Similarly, Granit Xhaka at 33 cannot be expected to carry Sunderland domestically and abroad, especially considering how tired the central midfielder looked toward the end of last season. Arne Engels, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Khephren Thuram are some of the names who have been linked with a move to the Stadium of Light, it's a lesser talked about star that I would favour.
Yassine Titraoui was flagged as a potential signing at the start of the window, but in the almost two months since, it has been a case of radio silence for the Sporting Charleroi star - who has since attracted interest from Hull City, Crystal Palace, Olympiakos and Lyon.
Offensively, the midfielder is pacey, has impeccable vision, can thread a pass like no-one else, carries the ball well and has a hell of a shot on him. Defensively, meanwhile, the 23-year-old Algerian has shown that he is not afraid to track back.
Elsewhere, the club could do with another winger - with Simon Adingra looking likely to head for the exit following a successful half-season loan with Monaco. While we still haven't seen the best from Jocelin Ta Bi and Nilson Angulo since their arrival in January, the former looks to be a player for the future as opposed to a first-team player at present, while Angulo will still require time to adapt to the pace of the Premier League.
Considering the success that Le Fee has had on the banks of the River Wear since his move from Roma, I wouldn't be opposed to Matias Soule following him. The Argentinian winger is direct, has pace in abundance, and already has a relationship with Ghisolfi considering he was the man who took him to Roma from Juventus in 2024.
While £29m may be a little steep for the 23-year-old, who has his best years ahead of him, the creativity that Soule would arguably bring to the table would pay dividends if Sunderland can utilise him properly.
Finally, while Brian Brobbey needs to start as many games as possible next season, Sunderland would be wise to bring in a supporting striker to play either alongside him or in rotation. Eliezer Mayenda left the club for Rennes in a £21.5m move, and Wilson Isidor remains as the only other out and out forward on the club's books at present as a result.
While the Haitian enjoyed a formidable World Cup campaign and has proven his worth in the Premier League, it would be a smart move to bring in another goal-scorer to lean on in terms of rotation, especially in the event that Isidor and/or Brobbey become injured this season.
One of the most crucial aspects of succeeding this season will be an ability to retain the core of the current team, while adding complementary depth. The good news for Sunderland fans is that the board have already proven that no amount of money will turn their heads for a key player.
Chelsea came sniffing around for club captain Xhaka earlier this month, and were firmly put in their place with a stance that the midfielder keystone is not for sale under any circumstances. And it's an approach that Louis-Dreyfus and co need to take with a number of Sunderland's other invaluable stars.
Robin Roefs must stay put and be the team's first-choice goalkeeper when the new season gets underway, despite interest from Chelsea and Liverpool which seems to have since dwindled. And Melker Ellborg also has to be retained - impressing when called upon last season.
Meanwhile, Dan Ballard, Trai Hume and Chris Rigg are three talents from the club's Championship days who must stay loyal to the cause. Ballard and Hume were pivotal to Sunderland's success in 2025/26, each seeing their fair share of football for the duration. While Rigg was deployed less frequently, the 19-year-old looks nailed on to make more of an impact this term, especially with more football to be divvied across the squad.
Noah Sadiki and Le Fee must also be retained at the Stadium of Light due to their sheer work rate and creativity, while Brobbey must also not see his head turned by interest from the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa, Spurs and Juventus.
Finally, while not the most technically-gifted of the group, O'Nien also has to remain on board for the new season. Mr Sunderland gives absolutely everything on the pitch time and time again whenever he is called upon, and his leadership qualities in the dressing room and further afield are instrumental to the club's success going forward.
Given O'Nien has been part and parcel of the cohort since 2018 - and stuck with the club through thick and thin since - there's no doubt in my mind that we will see him playing in Europe with the Black Cats this year.