Sunderland will face a fight to keep hold of head coach Regis Le Bris if they continue to take the Premier League by storm, according to former Black Cat Wes Brown.
Le Bris's Impact at Sunderland
Le Bris guided Sunderland to a surprise promotion from the Championship in his first season, built on a largely youthful squad supplemented by shrewd transfer business. That success was built upon as the team defied relegation odds to finish seventh in the top flight and qualify for the Europa League.
It has been a stunning couple of years for the Wearsiders, and Le Bris has rightly received plaudits for his achievements. However, the flip side is that his accomplishments have been noticed elsewhere.
Wes Brown's Assessment
Brown commented: 'It's a tough thing to do, taking a club like Sunderland up through the play-offs and then finishing in the top half. I know Sunderland have been a Premier League club before but not for a good while, so to not only keep them up but go on the charge to get into Europe, it’s given everyone a boost: the fans, the players, the city.'
He added: 'It’s all down to Regis Le Bris getting his players to buy into playing as a team. He got a great reaction from Granit Xhaka and it’s clear the players have really been in the mood to play for him. They’re really enjoying themselves.'
Future Challenges
Brown expressed hope that Le Bris receives financial backing: 'Now you just hope he gets a little bit of money to spend this summer because he’s done very well with all the players they spent money on last summer. You just hope that their team spirit continues going into next season with a few add-ons, but if he keeps this up, there will definitely be teams looking at Sunderland and what they’re doing because Le Bris has been every owner’s dream so far.'
Speaking to Compare.bet, Brown emphasised the importance of maintaining home form: 'For Sunderland, first of all, it’s tough to come and play them at the Stadium of Light, and it’s up to the players and the manager to keep that same attitude and energy next season and maintain their fortress. You look at every team that played there and it was always a hard game the way Sunderland run at you when they’re playing in front of their home fans. They always have the crowd behind them. You don’t see that at every ground. They have to keep that going if they are going to stay in the Premier League.'
