Jamie Carragher has left Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane stunned with his prediction that Sunderland will be relegated from the Premier League this season. Regis Le Bris' side enjoyed a sensational first campaign back in England's top-flight, which saw them qualify for the Europa League, but Carragher believes that could be their undoing.
Carragher's Hot Take
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher said: "I'm going to go Sunderland to go down." All of Neville, Wright and Keane responded by saying "wow" before Sunderland fan Jill Scott jokingly stated: "I used to like you."
Carragher later explained his prediction: "I think they are the one Premier League team who I think could get dragged into it just because they are playing Thursday night football."
Panel's Reaction
However, the other members of the panel were having none of it, with former Black Cats boss Keane repeatedly dismissing it before joking that Carragher had clearly drunk some alcohol the night before. Ian Wright even claimed that Sunderland will finish seventh again, but Carragher holds a very different belief.
While it is hard to foresee Sunderland struggling to the point of being in a relegation battle, Europa League football nearly saw Nottingham Forest go down to the Championship. They were on the verge of sealing Champions League football in the 2024/25 season but had to settle for Europe's secondary club competition. Under a fourth permanent manager, Forest reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by eventual winners Aston Villa.
Squad Depth Concerns
Squad depth is a massive factor when it comes to balancing Premier League and European football, with Sunderland appearing to only have that in defence. Their only two summer signings have come in that department in free agent Thomas Meunier and Dayann Methalie after a prolonged transfer saga. Sunderland confirmed the arrival of Dayann Methalie earlier this week.
Despite concerns over their lack of transfer market activity, Le Bris has stated he is calm and trusts the club while also citing the overpaying from other Premier League clubs. He said: "We are clear in what we are looking for. It's hard because the market is not an easy one as well, but at the same time, we stay patient, we stay calm and organised."
"I trust the club, I trust the process as a whole because we are well connected and if we don't have early signings this season, there's a reason and it's not because we don't want to achieve the targets, it's just because it's not possible at the minute."
"The market is a bit different. We don't have the same targets as last season, first of all, and the market is probably slower than usual. Some clubs as well overpaid some players and it doesn't help the following situations. Because if a club, for example, pays a player £50 million rather than the real value, around £20 million, then the next signings, they want to align with the same. So until the last week, probably, this will apply."
