Sunderland have suffered from their fair share of relegation heartbreaks over the years.
Staggeringly, when looking over the all-time records, the Wearside outfit have been relegated from the Premier League down to the EFL an alarming nine times, with the last of those coming about at the end of the gloomy 2016/17 season.
Regis Le Bris will be hoping his name won’t be added to the list of the unfortunate managers who have a relegation blotting their CV, having just experienced the opposite, the unbelievable joy of promotion last campaign.
He has certainly been handed a very impressive squad to try and secure survival with, with a reported £162m forked out on upgrades all over the pitch.
Brobbey vs Xhaka – who is the better signing?
Amazingly, Sunderland were still active all the way up until deadline day, despite the litany of new signings entering the building before the chaos ensued.
Indeed, the main headline-grabbing signing from the hectic events of deadline day was the £21.6m capture of Brian Brobbey, with the Ajax goal machine suddenly uprooting away from his boyhood club at the final hour to try and be a rip-roaring success in England.
Le Bris and Co will hope the goals start flowing from minute one to justify that lavish price tag, and with Brobbey previously being lauded for his “prolific” nature by scout Jacek Kulig, it should be millions well spent.
After all, the Dutchman can’t have fluked his Ajax senior record of 56 strikes from 163 appearances at the Johan Cruyff Arena. That sort of record is precisely what Sunderland are looking for as they attempt to beat the drop. Goals, after all, are the most important commodity in football.
He could well get the nod over Eliezer Mayenda when Sunderland clash with Crystal Palace up next, but Granit Xhaka stands proud as the most striking deal of the summer window. His experience of Premier League football and his leadership skills make him a player who could drag the Mackems to safety.
Last time out, the Swiss assisted the last-gasp Wilson Isidor winner against Brentford, with the £17m recruit proving his worth in lots more ways than just supplying the Frenchman with that late strike, having also won a whopping ten duels as a battler for the newly promoted side’s cause.
Both signings, when looking back on the season next May, should hopefully be viewed as terrific success stories.
Yet, while both purchases cost Sunderland a pretty penny, there is another standout performer worth even more than the named duo, who was plying his trade for the Black Cats last season in the Championship.
The "incredible" star worth more than Brobbey & Xhaka
Thankfully, there are still some threads of continuity from that whirlwind promotion season in Le Bris’ first team, regardless of the wholesale changes this summer.
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Both the aforementioned Mayenda and Trai Hume were regular starters for the Frenchman as promotion was eyed up, and both started the clash against Keith Andrews’ Bees.
On top of that, former loan star turned permanent purchase Enzo Le Fee also got the call to play from the get-go against Brentford, which proved to be an inspired choice by the ex-Lorient boss.
Despite it being his first ever taste of the hustle and bustle of the Premier League from the start, the cool and composed left winger tucked away his penalty with some confidence, which then gave the Black Cats the springboard to seal a late win via Isidor’s heroics.
But, going back to Le Fee, Sunderland fans just continue to fall more and more in love with their skilful ace, who managed to also notch up a solitary goal and three assists last season to steer Le Bris and Co up to the promised land.
Games played
22
Goals scored
2
Assists
3
Big chances created
2
Transfer valuation
£18m
After seriously impressing against Brentford, with Le Fee also winning eight ground duels to battle away valiantly for his team, Football Transfers estimates that his valuation stands at a weighty £18m.
Using the same source, that means the former AS Roma midfielder is actually worth more than both Brobbey and Xhaka, who boast reduced valuations of £17.7m and £15m respectively.
Even more could soon come from the “incredible” ace – as he was also labelled by Kulig – as the season progresses, considering Le Fee has seven goals and 14 assists up his sleeve previously in Ligue 1.
If all three players can perform to the peak of their powers, relegation shouldn’t be a worry on Wearside, as Le Bris tries to ensure a depressing tenth relegation isn’t on the cards.