Sunderland’s season so far has been rated, with one clear thing helping them stand out from the rest of the top sides.
The Black Cats currently find themselves sat 3rd in the Championship table after their recent victory against Sheffield United.
Regis Le Bris’ side managed to respond to the reverse fixture at Bramall Lane in spectacular fashion as Eliezer Mayenda bagged a crucial goal, not just for his side but also his own confidence, whilst Wilson Isidor showed incredible class with the ball at his feet before dispatching it past Michael Cooper in-between the sticks for the Blades.
Anthony Patterson also saved Kieffer Moore’s penalty to help Sunderland towards all three points, putting the Black Cats just two points behind the Blades.
With Sunderland certainly in-and-around the promotion hunt, they have been singled out by one EFL expert for possessing something that sets their achievements out to be much more impressive than the other sides towards the summit.
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EFL expert explains how ‘outsiders’ Sunderland deserve credit due to lack of parachute payments
Looking at the top of the table, Sunderland find themselves in 4th, just five points away from Leeds United, with Burnley and Sheffield United making up the 2nd and 3rd positions.
All three of the sides that Sunderland find themselves up against have been in the Premier League in the previous two seasons, meaning that they currently find themselves reaping the rewards of parachute payments, something that Le Bris doesn’t have the luxury of.
As a result of this, the Black Cats have been handed extra credit for what they have achieved so far this season.
EFL expert James Peach, per Second Tier Pod on X, spoke about Sunderland’s promotion chances and their achievements so far, to which he said: “Yeah, they’re the outsiders but they’ve stayed in that key race all season.
“You’ve got to argue that Leeds, Burnley, Sheffield United, they’ve got the comfort of parachute payments, and a lovely expensive squad, whereas Sunderland have had to build it from scratch, and that’s why you;’ve got to really recognise the achievement.
“They’re still in the race at the perfect time, hitting January, this is a really good time for Sunderland at the moment.”
Comparing wages of top Championship sides shows how brilliant Regis Le Bris has been since coming in
There is no disguising the fact that Sunderland have a significantly lower budget in comparison to those sides in the top three, and that becomes obvious when comparing the wages of the sides.
Per Capology, Leeds United find themselves with the highest wages in the Championship, paying £715,500 p/w, which is £119,500 more than Burnley in 2nd. Following that is West Brom, then Sheffield United with £439,000 spent on wages per week.
As for Sunderland, they currently find themselves spending just £242,769 p/w, which is the 11th lowest in the table.
This clearly shows that Le Bris has simply done an astonishing job up until this point with the players at his disposal, and there is no underestimating how brilliantly the Frenchman has done.