Under French boss Regis Le Bris, the plucky underdogs returned to the Premier League last summer, ending an eight-year absence from the English top flight.

While many fans and pundits predicted Sunderland to make a swift exit like many promoted sides before them, Le Bris, young majority shareholder Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and former sporting director Kristjaan Speakman had other ideas.

A well-planned summer of recruitment helped the Black Cats make an incredible start to their Premier League return, climbing as high as second by Halloween.

Even a slight drop-off could not derail Sunderland's momentum, with the Black Cats eventually finishing seventh in the 2025-26 season. That secured Europa League football for the upcoming campaign and their first European competition appearance in 53 years.

With everyone's attention now on Sunderland, the Black Cats appear to have created a blueprint for returning to the top flight in style. So, let's look at how they achieved such a feat, and whether they are set for bigger and better things or could ultimately crash and burn in the process.

How Sunderland Laid the Foundations for Promotion

Sunderland's appointment of relatively unknown Regis Le Bris as head coach in June 2024 was met with a lukewarm yet optimistic reception at the Stadium of Light.

The French coach had only recently been dismissed by Lorient after their relegation to Ligue 2, having spent seven years managing their B team before taking charge of the first team for just under two years.

On Wearside, however, the Black Cats were recovering from a disappointing season following a promising start under Tony Mowbray. A dip in form led to his replacement by Michael Beale, who failed to establish himself as a long-term figure and was dismissed within just two months.

Finishing the campaign under interim boss Mike Dodds, Sunderland slipped to 16th in the 2023-24 EFL Championship season. At the time, chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus said the next manager needed to "build on the foundations we have established and fulfil our long-term ambitions."

Immediately, Sunderland's recruitment proved interesting. The club heavily relied on loans, with Salis Abdul Samed from Lens, Chris Mepham from Bournemouth, Enzo Le Fee from Roma, Leo Hjelde from Leeds and, most notably, striker Wilson Isidor from Zenit St Petersburg all becoming valuable additions.

Overall, they spent just shy of £12 million in the summer of 2024.

Another major strength was the influx of young talent. Jobe Bellingham, brought in the previous summer, came into his own during the promotion campaign, while academy graduate Chris Rigg excelled in midfield despite being just 17.

Alongside several other smart additions, Sunderland made a flying start, topping the table after 12 games with nine victories. Eventually falling behind Leeds United, Burnley and Sheffield United, the Black Cats comfortably settled into fourth place and secured a play-off spot.

Promotion Changed Sunderland's Ambition

After a dramatic 120+2-minute Dan Ballard winner in the home leg of their 3-2 aggregate semi-final victory over Coventry, third-placed Sheffield United awaited Sunderland at Wembley.

After a largely cagey final, it was academy graduate Tommy Watson, who had recently been confirmed as departing for Brighton, who rolled the ball into the bottom corner in stoppage time to send Sunderland back to the promised land.

Few expected them to make an impact in the Premier League, particularly after finishing 24 points behind automatic promotion places occupied by Leeds United and Burnley. However, Le Bris, chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, then aged just 27, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and newly appointed director of football Florent Ghisolfi collectively turned those ambitions into reality.

With much of the promotion squad made up of loanees, several returned to their parent clubs without permanent deals, including Abdul Samed and Mepham. Watson also departed for Brighton for £10 million, while Sunderland made the bold decision to sell their most valuable asset, Jobe Bellingham, to Borussia Dortmund for just over £30 million.

What followed in the summer of 2025 was nothing short of remarkable. Sunderland spent £161 million on 15 new signings, setting a new record for a newly promoted club and surpassing Nottingham Forest's previous mark of around £140 million from 2022.

Their savvy Championship recruitment had left Sunderland with significant financial room to manoeuvre, allowing them to embark on one of the boldest transfer windows in recent Premier League history.

Notable additions included Brian Brobbey, Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra, Enzo Le Fee, Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi and Arthur Masuaku. Most crucially, Sunderland also brought in former Arsenal man Granit Xhaka to captain an almost entirely new-look side.

How Sunderland Defied Expectations in the Premier League

Whereas some questioned whether a recently assembled squad could gel quickly enough, Sunderland could not have bucked the trend of promoted teams falling flat much more emphatically.

Seventeen points from their opening nine matches lifted the Black Cats to the dizzying heights of second, just two points behind eventual Premier League champions Arsenal and matching Sunderland's best-ever start to a Premier League campaign.

Their form continued to keep them around the top five or six, with victory over Newcastle United in the first home Tyne-Wear derby in years providing another memorable moment in what was quickly becoming a dream campaign.

The only caveat was Sunderland's reliance on international African players, with Traore, Sadiki, Masuaku and Talbi all missing weeks of festive Premier League action due to AFCON, while some also returned with injuries. Diarra and Ballard also missed significant time through injury.

Nevertheless, Sunderland continued to pick up points and avoid a complete collapse. A slight slide was eventually rectified by strong form in March and April, alongside a memorable league double over Newcastle. By this point, the ambition had shifted from merely surviving to pushing for European football.

A final-day 2-1 victory over Chelsea took Sunderland to 54 points, the highest tally by a newly promoted side since Leeds United in 2020-21 and enough to match Wolves' seventh-place finish in 2018-19.

Despite beginning the final day in 10th, the Black Cats leapfrogged Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford to secure a remarkable seventh-place finish and a guaranteed Europa League spot for the following season.

Can Sunderland Sustain Their Rise?

Although some may have expected another spending spree to cope with the demands of a domestic and European campaign, Sunderland have actually been relatively reserved in the transfer market so far.

Former PSG and Dortmund right-back Thomas Meunier, signed on a free transfer after leaving Lille, is their only new addition, while former number one Anthony Patterson's move to Wrexham is set to be their only departure so far.

However, Le Bris hinted at the club's intentions after their 2-0 pre-season win over RC Lens on Saturday: "Our squad is already well connected with good players and probably the first good recruitment is to keep your strength. We are working behind the scenes to strengthen the squad."

Despite this, he admitted recruitment is proving more difficult than last season, adding: "It's really different if you compare with last season. Here we have to be really precise and when you are looking for someone, a specific profile, it's much harder."

Another assumption may be that Sunderland's bumper summer last season limits their ability to spend again, and there is some truth to that.

Under the Premier League's new Squad Cost Ratio rules, clubs must keep their on-pitch spending within 85% of their football-related revenue and net profit or loss from player sales. Transfer fees are spread across the length of a player's contract, meaning a £40 million signing on a four-year deal counts as £10 million per season rather than the full fee immediately.

However, UEFA applies a stricter 70% limit to clubs competing in its competitions, meaning Sunderland will have to be particularly mindful of their spending as they enter the Europa League.

This does not prevent them from making significant additions, while the Europa League also brings lucrative revenue, but wages, transfer amortisation, loan costs and agent fees all have to be factored into the calculation alongside the club's revenue.

Sunderland therefore appear likely to be selective rather than restricted this summer. With things rarely looking brighter at the Stadium of Light, the Black Cats may not need to replicate last season's spending to remain competitive, particularly after managing to retain key players such as Xhaka despite interest from other clubs.

Even if the added demands of the Europa League stretch them slightly thinner on the domestic front, their focus can instead be on carefully chosen additions capable of keeping them comfortably clear of relegation while creating some memorable European nights.