Top of the Championship table, Sunderland are proof that spending money is not the only route to success.
Twelve teams in England’s second tier invested more money than the Black Cats in the summer of 2024. Sunderland spent around £5 million on two permanent additions, plus the loan fee required to bring in Wilson Isidor from Zenit St Petersburg.
Burnley, despite their £40 million splurge, sat seven points adrift before kick off against West Brom on Thursday night. A Leeds side who fell further behind Sunderland thanks to a 1-0 loss at Millwall parted with around £30 million in the off-season themselves.
Sunderland’s flying start to the season, then, is testament not only to Le Bris’ fine coaching but also the excellent recruitment presided over by director Kristjaan Speakman.
£1 million man Romaine Mundle has ensured that Jack Clarke has not been missed at Sunderland following his £15 million sale.
The departure Pierre Ekwah, another of last term’s key players, has been offset meanwhile by the free-agent arrival of Alan Browne and a Jobe Bellingham finally playing in his favoured midfield role.
Sunderland even stronger after Jack Clarke and Pierre Ekwah exits
Ekwah swapped Sunderland in a deal which could earn the Black Cats £6 million should St Etienne opt to turn an initial loan into a permanent transfer later down the line.
But while Le Bris continues to cook up Michelin star meals out of rather humble ingredients, St Etienne are discovering that even fine cuts can turn a little chewy in an unprepared kitchen.
Despite only returning to Ligue 1 this season, Les Verts spent more than Nice, Lens and a Lille side who have claimed seven points off Real Madrid, Atletico and Juventus in this season’s Champions League.
That outlay – one of the most substantial in France’s top flight – does not even account for the additional £6 million St Etienne would pay to make Ekwah’s stay a full-time one.
So, despite a much-needed 2-0 win over Strasbourg last time out, to say that St Etienne are struggling to live up to the expectations that arrived following a summer of big business would be an understatement.
“Everything seemed to come together to spark my enthusiasm, arouse my curiosity and finally bring the club into a modern era,” David Gluzman, a football finance expert, tells RMC Sport.
“The financial resources are also substantial. With the option to buy Pierre Ekwah, the Sunderland player, the club invested 30 million euros [£25 million].
“In a Ligue 1 with a limited budget, where five teams have not spent [a single penny] to strengthen themselves, this places Saint-Etienne in fifth place among the biggest spenders.
“However, Jean-Francois Soucasse and Loic Perrin, associated with the Caiazzo-Romeyer era [the previous regime which led to their relegation], have remained in place.
“I have the impression that there is immense potential to bring this club into modernity, but that we are still hesitant to shake up the institution. The result; an unbalanced squad with talented recruits identified by the data, but an unchanged base of Ligue 2 squad.”
Ekwah is in a Ligue 1 relegation battle with St Etienne
Ekwah, at least, is emerging as a stand-out performer in a team which looks ripe for another survival battle.
The former West Ham United youngster has started seven successive Ligue 1 matches now, and was imperious in the Strasbourg win which lifted St Etienne onto the ten-point mark.
Ekwah described St Etienne as a ‘legendary’ club when he left Sunderland in August. Should he manage to keep their heads above water, the ten-time Ligue 1 champions may soon be using a similar word to describe the 22-year-old enforcer.
“I saw boys who had raised the level,” head coach Olivier Dall’Oglio beamed after that Strasbourg triumph. “I can name them all, but I can especially talk about Pierre Ekwah, Benjamin Bouchouari or Louis Mouton.”
Still, while Ekwah may be emerging as one of Dall’Oglio’s best bets when it comes to securing their top-flight status for another season, the contrasting seasons of St Etienne and Sunderland proves that spending wads of cash provides no guarantee one way or the other.