Sunderland backed to undergo ‘enormous overhaul’ by former striker
Sunderland’s have a great shot of promotion this month as the playoffs are set to begin.
Regis Le Bris finally learnt his opponents in the semi-finals on Saturday as the club is set to take on Coventry City.
Premier League football is now potentially just three games away, and it is a must if Sunderland are to keep hold of their top stars.
Players such as Anthony Patterson could leave if the Black Cats don’t go up.
However, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes even with if the club keeps their current stars, they will struggle in the top-flight.
Sunderland squad ‘couldn’t compete’ in the Premier League insists Goodman
Sunderland’s second half of the season has not been as impressive.
For the first few months of the campaign, the Black Cats were top of the Championship and looked like they might get automatic promotion.
However, by the campaign’s end, the club could not keep up with the top two and eventually ended up 24 points behind second place.
| Sunderland’s matches since they secured the playoffs |
| Sunderland 0-1 Swansea City |
| Bristol City 2-1 Sunderland |
| Sunderland 0-1 Blackburn Rovers |
| Oxford United 2-0 Sunderland |
| Sunderland 0-1 QPR |
On top of this, Sunderland’s end of season form has been abysmal, with the club losing their last five consecutive matches.
Now, Goodman has claimed the Sunderland squad “wouldn’t be able to compete” in the Premier League if they were to get promoted and insisted an overhaul would be needed.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a team that’s ever ready for the Premier League if they get promoted from the Championship,” Goodman told Football League World (4 May)
“It all boils down to recruitment. Sunderland would need an enormous overhaul, of course they would, when you look at how they’ve struggled in the second-half of the season.
“There’s a group of young, really talented players.
“There’s no way that they would be able to compete on current terms, so it would depend on how much there is to spend and whether or not they get the recruitment right.
“As I’ve said, with every club that gets promoted, they’re not ready right there and then. Even Burnley and Leeds from this season will need to spend a significant amount of money on the right players in order to compete.
“Sunderland have got to get there first and, at the moment, that’s not looking amazing.”
Sunderland could survive in the Premier League with a good transfer window
While Sunderland’s recent form has been poor, there are plenty of signs that prove the squad could do well in the Premier League.
Many of the current squad are attracting interest at top teams, including Jobe Bellingham who is linked with Real Madrid.
Incomings are going to be needed, but an overhaul is an exaggeration. A few key signings in certain positions on top of extra experience would be excellent.
If the club brings this in, there is no reason why Sunderland cannot avoid the drop and end the terrible trend with promoted teams.