Sunderland actually have Premier League title-winner to thank for recent Regis Le Bris success

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Sunderland are sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table right now, with Regis Le Bris getting his fair share of plaudits. But, the Black Cats boss can’t take all the credit.

Regis Le Bris took on the top job at Sunderland in the summer, and it’s safe to say he’s been a big success so far, guiding his team to the summit of the Championship table after 15 games.

Whether Sunderland are genuine title contenders remains to be seen, and Le Bris will need to maintain this level of performance within his players for months to come if they are to have a shot at promotion.

For anyone who has been impressed by Le Bris since his arrival in English football, it will probably come as no surprise that he takes great inspiration from one of the greatest French managers in Premier League history.

• READ MORE: Regis Le Bris drops possible hint on long-term Sunderland future

Regis Le Bris loved watching Arsene Wenger’s Monaco

Speaking to the Irish Sun, Le Bris explained how former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, was a great source of inspiration and influence when he was a younger man, particularly what he achieved at Monaco.

“I really liked Monaco under Arsene Wenger. I wasn’t really a fan, but when I was young I liked this team and his style,” Le Bris said. “If a player, team or manager had a specific style, I liked analysing the way that they played, their personality… there was something different.”

“It was new — with many young players and a proactive style of play,” he added. “I was young, so it was difficult to assess the different elements involved in a game. But I think it was about emotional elements, which were different from other teams… it just makes you feel something different.”

• READ MORE: Regis Le Bris names six English clubs he ‘visited’ before eventually landing Sunderland job

Regis Le Bris could take Sunderland to Premier League

It is still early days, but with one-third of the season now gone, Sunderland are well-placed to at least be thinking about a play-off place this term.

With Le Bris introducing a really exciting yet highly-organised style of play, and his relatively young Sunderland squad looking fearless and hungry to show what they can do, there will be many neutrals who are rooting for the Black Cats to do well this season, too.

The next month will be really decisive and will offer a great signal as to whether Sunderland can keep this promotion charge up.

They’ve got tough games against West Brom and Sheffield United coming up, while Millwall and Bristol City have been tough to beat this year, too. If Sunderland can get results there, they will go into the festive period in a very strong position and full of confidence.

From there, Regis Le Bris could make smart moves in the January transfer window to bolster his squad for the second half of the campaign and take Sunderland back to the Premier League where they belong.