Sunderland take ‘aggressive gamble’ after £110m Premier League reveal – Exclusive
Sunderland are taking a full-throttle approach in the transfer market as they look to have a real go in the Premier League.
Over the last few years, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has taken a careful and considered approach to spending, which has ultimately paid off.
However, they have already spent considerably, with the £30million signing of Habib Diarra the standout deal.
The North East outfit are not done yet, though, as they continue to be linked with top names from around Europe.
Sunderland spending explained amid transfer strategy
Regis Le Bris lost two key players at the end of the season as Jobe Bellingham joined Borussia Dortmund and Tommy Watson left for Brighton.
However, the Wearsiders have moved to replace those players, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka one of the latest big names to be linked with Sunderland.
Football finance expert Dan Plumley – speaking exclusively to Mackem News – has weighed in on their spending, with the help of the Premier League.
“Well, it’s still a considerable amount of money, isn’t it?” he said.
“We’ve said this with teams that are newly promoted, that haven’t been in the league for a while.
“You’re guaranteed nowadays £105-110million from TV cash, even if you finish bottom, so if you’re spending against that, and you spend that amount, then you’re basically spending the TV cash.
“You’re taking that approach to have a go and try and stay up, and they’ve got players out the door as well that have come with significant fees, so you can offset that a little bit with Sunderland.
“They’ve not spent all the TV money in relative terms, but they’ve spent a fair proportion of it, and we said this at the time, they could view this in one of two ways.
“It seems to me that they’re going a little bit more down the aggressive approach, and it could pay off, but it is still a gamble, ultimately.
“But, it looks like they’re going to have a go and try and stay in the league and build a squad that’s capable of competing.”
Black Cats take correct transfer approach
If Sunderland had not taken the approach they are pursuing, then they would have had no chance in the Premier League.
The reality for promoted clubs nowadays is that they need to spend big, and even if they do, they will still likely go back down.
However, Nottingham Forest have shown that it can be done, and it seems as though the Black Cats are following their lead.
While there is plenty of the window left, nobody can fault the Wearsiders for trying.
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