Sunderland lay down Regis Le Bris marker amid Premier League interest
Sunderland may have completed a substantial amount of transfer business this summer, but Regis Le Bris could be the standout deal.
The Black Cats have already spent north of £100million, with Habib Diarra a record signing at the Stadium of Light.
Understandably, the likes of Diarra and Granit Xhaka have stolen the headlines, but it would be foolish to overlook the manager.
Le Bris signed a fresh three-year deal at Sunderland, which may have been accelerated due to interest from a Premier League club.
This story includes exclusive comment from football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley.
Sunderland put faith in Le Bris amid fresh contract
Le Bris praised Xhaka after Sunderland’s Premier League win over West Ham on the opening day.
The Frenchman could not have asked for a better start to life in the top flight, in what should be a tough campaign.
Now, football finance expert Dan Plumley has weighed in on his new contract in the North East.
“Yes, definitely, and we’ve seen clubs do this a lot in recent years, haven’t they?” he exclusively told Mackem News when asked if Sunderland were smart to tie down Le Bris.
“We know no manager’s job is ultimately safe; that’s the reality.
“Signing a new contract or not, it does depend still very much on what happens on the pitch, but given where Sunderland have been and given he’s got them promoted and that was way above expectations, I don’t think they were expecting to go up at all, so you’ve given him a good shot.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Points per match (PPM) |
| 52 | 24 | 14 | 14 | 86 | 1.65 |
“You’ve given him some money to spend, you’ve protected his contract, you’ve pushed away other clubs, that’s all really positive, and then you’ve got to back him and go, well, okay, whatever happens this season, you’re our manager.
“That’s never guaranteed in football, but certainly keeping him away from other clubs that might be looking with a revised contract, he’s just as good a signing as some players, and getting that squad together because he’s obviously worked wonders last season.
“And, you want to keep that consistency in the backroom staff going when you’re up against it in the Premier League anyway, so I think that’s a really good move by the club.”
Read more: Regis Le Bris will be buzzing with ‘amazing’ Sunderland star who won 13 duels vs West Ham
Which Premier League club approached Le Bris?
Given that only Tottenham and Brentford were looking for new managers this summer, it would be safe to say it was the latter who likely approached Le Bris.
The Bees lost Thomas Frank to Spurs and eventually settled for Keith Andrews, who has no prior experience in management.
Interest in the Frenchman is unsurprising, given the phenomenal job he has done at the Stadium of Light.
Indeed, if he can carry on his exploits in the Premier League, then there is bound to be increased interest.
However, Sunderland and Le Bris are the perfect match, and he should be thrilled to be part of such an exciting project.
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