Sunderland’s return to the Premier League was a turbulent one.
Their marketing campaign started with a 3-0 victory over West Ham in entrance of the Bouncing of Gentle Stadium.
A 2-0 loss at Burnley shortly reminded them of their future challenges, however the Black Cats fought again with a dramatic 2-1 residence victory over Brentford.
A stalemate with Crystal Palace and a 1-1 attract a fierce battle with Aston Villa, the place Sunderland performed nearly all of the sport with 10 males — confirmed resilience.
A victory in that match would have pushed them to fourth place. It is price noting for the membership that competed in final season’s championship.
Subsequent is a visit to Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest remains to be tailored to life below Anjipost Koglu.
The main target is correct in Sunderland’s vibrant begin and their new arrivals, akin to Granite Zacca, Nordi Mukiere, Habib Diara and Simon Adingra, however it’s not possible to not bear in mind a number of the gamers who as soon as wore purple and white.
Amongst them are well-known names like Jobe Bellingham, but in addition ahead, who’s now one of the crucial electrical performers within the Premier League.
How Jobe Bellingham does it at Borussia Dortmund
When Job Bellingham joined Sunderland from Birmingham in 2023, the 20-year-old midfielder had immense expectations.
The product of the identical soccer household that produced Actual Madrid star Jude Bellingham, he grew to become the main target of Sunderland’s Championship Promotion Marketing campaign.
Job made 40 league appearances final season, scoring 4 occasions and supporting thrice.
He performed a key position when the Black Cats went their manner via the playoffs and sealed their return to the highest flight.
The affect led Borussia Dortmund to maneuver shortly and pay £27 million to safe his companies in the summertime.
The Bundesliga giants are conscious of their potential, however his time in Germany has been one of many changes up till now.
The alternatives for Begin XI are restricted, and the youthful midfielder remains to be on the lookout for consistency on the highest degree. Though there was curiosity within the Premier League features like Crystal Palace, Bellingham selected Dortmund and hoped to observe in his brother’s footsteps.
Regardless of his well-known transfer, Bellingham remains to be not a success with Heights that Sunderland followers could have been anticipating.
As an alternative, it is one other former black cat, and hasn’t been instructed a lot throughout his time at Wearside.
Antoine Semegno – tore it within the Premier League
Whereas Jobe Bellingham carries the headlines, Antoine Semenyo is one other former Sunderland participant who actually shines in Europe.
The 25-year-old winger took half in a mortgage from Bristol Metropolis in 2020 when the membership was preventing in League One, carrying a fleeting spell with the Black Cat. He was valued on the time by TransferMarkt for simply £436,000.
He made solely seven appearances, and in line with TransharkMarkt, he left a modest impression of the time. The membership didn’t determine to pursue a everlasting deal for the winger, which proved to be a serious mistake.
Quick ahead to at the moment, Semeño is among the hottest forwards within the UK.
He has blossomed into full progress since becoming a member of Bournemouth on a £10 million transfer from Bristol Metropolis in 2023.
Final season he scored 11 targets and offered six assists in 37 league appearances.
His type prompted Bournemouth to slap him at a £70 million price ticket this summer time amid curiosity from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
This season he began even stronger.
Antoine Semegno – 2025/26 | |
|---|---|
Matches performed | 5 |
the objective | 3 |
help | 2 |
Progressive Carry | 15 |
Progressive Move | 16 |
Supply: FBREF | |
The statistics spotlight how efficient he has change into.
He ranks the 87th percentile on pictures per 90 (3.15), the 74th percentile on profitable take-ons (2.04), and the seventieth percentile on touches in offensive penalty space (5.22) per FBREF.
He’s additionally defensively diligent, sitting within the 98th percentile for blocks per 90 % (1.84) and a rare 97th percentile (2.01) in an airborne duel.
X’s EBL described Semenyo as a “pound 100 million participant.”
His mixture of labor charge, direct operating, and bodily dominance makes him the precise sort of contemporary ahead that elite golf equipment crave.
For Sunderland supporters, seeing Semenyo thrive could stir blended feelings.
His spell on Wearside was brief and virtually unremarkable, however the trajectory of his profession is proof of how unpredictable soccer improvement is.
Their present crew has a number of recent expertise, but it surely’s not tough to look again at whether or not Sunderland had been defending him throughout his childhood. In consequence, they have been unable to establish his expertise and have been ruined by pursuing a everlasting deal after a mortgage stint.
