As those Premier League parachute payments threaten to ruin the Championship’s reputation as Europe’s most unpredictable division, the success of Sunderland under Regis Le Bris is an ‘example’ to many.
At least, that is the view of Johannes Hoff Thorup. The Norwich City boss was speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Stadium of Light.
And, while Sunderland have slipped to fourth, that they are continuing to keep the pace with Sheffield United, Burnley and Leeds – three clubs who have all enjoyed the financial rewards of Premier League football in the last couple of seasons – is testament not only to Regis Le Bris’ coaching but also the outstanding work of their recruitment department and their academy staff.
Sunderland fought back from 2-0 down at Swansea City last time out. And it felt fitting that the Black Cats’ 76th minute winner was a goal created by Chris Rigg and finished off by Jobe Bellingham.
A teenager who emerged from the Academy of Light assisting another teenager who was snapped up in a £3 million deal from Birmingham City.
Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup on why Sunderland are an ‘example’
Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson and Tom Watson all came through Sunderland’s youth ranks.
Romain Mundle, Elizier Mayenda, Dennis Cirkin, Trai Hume and Aji Alese, meanwhile, reportedly set the Black Cats back a combined fee of around £4 million.
And that is without mentioning last summer’s two successful loan signings. Chris Mepham and Wilson Isidor made a big impact after arriving on temporary deals from AFC Bournemouth and Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg.
In the summer of 2024, no fewer than a dozen Championship clubs spent more than Sunderland. One of those being Norwich. The Canaries invested around £20 million, albeit much of that was financed by the big-money sales of Adam Idah and Gabriel Sara to Celtic and Galatasaray respectively.
Per BBC Sport, Norwich recently announced a £14.4 million pre-tax loss as those parachute payments came to an end. And Thorup accepts that, if the Anglian outfit are to close the gap on the likes of Leeds, a Sunderland side who have built a promotion-chasing squad while barely spending a penny is an ‘example’ to follow.
“I think, when you are in a league and you compete against clubs where they have a bigger budget, they have a bigger reach maybe in terms of the players they can bring in, then you have to find something else you [can] compete on,” Thorup said during his Wednesday press conference.
“That’s what we try to do here. That’s why we try to be, as clear as possible in our decisions and our choices and our strategy and the way that we play, so we can compete with [the richer Championship teams].
“I think Sunderland is a good example.”
Sunderland are ‘the best team in the Championship’ in transition
Only Leeds, meanwhile, have scored more goals from counter-attacks in the 2024/25 Championship season than Sunderland.
Thorup is warning his Norwich side to be wary of what he describes as ‘the best transition team in the league’ after watching Sunderland move the ball from their own half to the Swansea net inside just nine seconds as Jobe Bellingham marked a ‘fantastic’ performance in South Wales with the winning goal.
“I think they play really, really well, and [that is] also something we need to be really prepared for because, in my opinion, it’s the best transition team in the league,” adds the former Nordsjaelland boss.
“I think, if you look at the movements up front, if you look at the chances they create from counter-attacks and being very direct in their approach, I think they’re really, really good in that area of the game.
“So for us, again, [it is] about balance,”
“Not being tempted to go into certain areas where we know there’s a big risk, but reading the moment well to see if we can go against their pressing direction and find that opposite side as quick as possible. So we avoid those moments where we lose [the ball] in critical areas of the game.
“I think that would be the deal-breaker in the game.
“If we are good in reading those moments and getting away from the pressure and finding the free spaces, then we can hurt them. But, if we are tempted and if we take the wrong decisions, if we play a little bit too slow, then we can get hurt.
“So that’s really been the headline for me in the preparation, and it will be in the upcoming days.”