Sunderland send thank you to Alan Shearer after new Premier League announcement
Sunderland supporters will be excited for their first Premier League Tyne-Wear Derby in nine years, with Newcastle in turmoil.
The Geordies have been unable to spend as much as the Mackems and face the possibility of losing their best striker, Alexander Isak, before the end of the transfer window.
On the flip side, Regis Le Bris is still looking to add to his squad, with defender Nordi Mukiele the latest arrival at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland showed their quality in the 3-0 win over West Ham in their Premier League opener and will be looking forward to hosting their neighbours on 13 December.
Sunderland send thank you message to Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer has had very little to say about Sunderland’s fine performance against West Ham.
Newcastle played out a boring 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, in comparison to the Mackems’ crushing win in their opening game of the season.
However, Shearer did feature three Sunderland figures in his Premier League Team of the Week.
Habib Diarra and Dan Ballard were included in the team, and Regis Le Bris was also named his manager of the week.
What Shearer said about his Sunderland inclusions
- Diarra: “Ran the show at the heart of Sunderland’s midfield. He broke into the box with power and purpose.”
- Ballard: “It pains me to choose two Sunderland players, but Ballard had to be included – he was immense. Made an impressive goal-line clearance from El Hadji Malick Diouf when it was 0-0 and then scored a thumping header to double Sunderland’s lead.”
- Regis Le Bris: “Premier League debuts don’t get much better than this for managers – three goals, a clean sheet and a winning start.”
In reply to the Premier League’s post on Instagram announcing his team, Sunderland‘s official account wrote: “Thanks Alan” alongside a thumbs up emoji.
Sunderland have an ideal opportunity to overtake Newcastle
If you asked a Sunderland fan following the play-off win over Sheffield United how they would look going into the 2025/26 season, no one would have imagined that they had the likes of Granit Xhaka on their books.
| Played | Newcastle wins | Sunderland wins | Draws | Newcastle goals | Sunderland goals |
| 142 | 51 | 47 | 44 | 211 | 211 |
Their noisy neighbours have struggled in the transfer window, and the Mackems have the ideal opportunity to beat them this season.
It’s important not to get ahead of ourselves, but following the win against West Ham, relegation doesn’t look much of a threat, and instead, Le Bris’s side can begin to climb the Premier League table.
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