Credit: Imago

Josh Edwards

Thu 20 March 2025 16:00, UK

Sunderland remain on course to achieve promotion back to the Premier League, and Kristjaan Speakman deserves plenty of respect for his role.

Despite suffering an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Coventry City, the season is still very much alive for the Black Cats.

Automatic promotion looks like a distant fantasy at this point, though Sunderland have every chance of achieving promotion via the playoffs.

The recent drop in form has caused plenty of frustration on Wearside, though the latest reveal showcases just how well Sunderland are doing to be in the position that they are with eight games to go.

Sunderland are massively over achieving

Prior to the season starting, very few would’ve anticipated Sunderland remaining in the top two conversation for this long, though up until the defeat to Coventry, they had every chance of doing so.

Mathematically it is still possible, though a fourth-place finish looks all nailed on for Sunderland, with Coventry 10 points behind and Burnley nine points ahead.

Someone will look at that position and think that ambitions should’ve been higher, though from a financial perspective, Sunderland have no right to be where they are, and it showcases just how well Kristjaan Speakman and Stuart Harvey have done on the recruitment front.

According to the latest estimates from Capology, the Wearsiders are 14th in the list of wage expenditure, with their annual spending coming in at just over £12.5 million.

For comparison, the three teams above them in the table are also the three teams at the top of the salary estimates, with Leeds forking out nearly three times the amount of weekly wages.

This Sunderland team has been assembled through meticulous decision-making, and it could very well pay off from the end of the campaign.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may need to alter Sunderland budget if promotion isn’t achieved

Quite frankly, if Regis Le Bris’ side achieve promotion, it would be a remarkable achievement all things considered.

However, if they don’t, Sunderland run the risk of losing several first-time players and having to start all over again in the summer.

If that is to be the case, the Wearsiders will not have time to replicate what they have done over the last few years, instead, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may need to open the budget to ensure that Sunderland can keep competing at the top end of the table even if those players do depart.

As for now, the only thing that matters is what happens on the pitch ahead of the final eight games of the season