Everything appears to be going to plan for Sunderland right now, and the club’s hierarchy has been praised for the way they have taken opportunities over the last 18 months.
Sunderland find themselves in a title race right now in the Championship, despite having the youngest squad in the league and a manager who had never worked in England before.
Regis Le Bris deserves a lot of credit for the work he has done this season, but it is the Sunderland owners, and the strategy of sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman, that has been heralded now.
With a deal for Enzo Le Fee thought to be closed, the club is attracting a lot of attention at the moment, and it’s seen as clear evidence of how far Sunderland has come of late.
- READ MORE: Sunderland transfer round-up: Enzo Le Fee latest while Jobe Bellingham agreement could prove costly
Enzo Le Fee transfer is a real ‘show of intent’ from Sunderland hierarchy
Reflecting on the recent past at Sunderland, including the way the club handled the fallout of Michael Beale’s disastrous reign, Michael Graham took to Twitter/X to highlight just how shrewd and patient Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman have been.
Graham posted: “What I think has been very apparent about Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman is that they pick their moments. Sunderland were a long way from a promotion bid 18 months ago so didn’t chase it. Couldn’t then recover quickly from Beale mess, so waited. Now opportunity is there, so are the resources.”
Addressing the imminent arrival of Enzo Le Fee, James Copley also commended the work from the Sunderland hierarchy in finally showing some real ambition this year, and how that may start to make up for previous mistakes from this regime.
Copley posted: “Some show of intent. Have been missteps along the way but not sure ambition this season can be questioned even by the most ardent Kyril Louis-Dreyfus critics.”
- READ MORE: Sunderland backed to win race for £10k-a-week star who is ‘the closest thing to Jack Clarke’
Everything is falling into place for Sunderland right now
Things couldn’t be more perfect at Sunderland right now. They’ve got a manager who is clearly a great tactician, who is getting the best out of a very young, raw squad, and there’s such an air of positivity around the club as a result.
Sunderland are on track for promotion this season, which was unthinkable given how they performed last year. Brilliant foundations have been put in place over the summer, and that is paying dividends now.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 48 | 19 | 29 | 53 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 31 | 9 | 22 | 52 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 36 | 17 | 19 | 52 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 26 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 50 |
| 5 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 41 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 21 | 11 | 40 |
Hopefully, the Black Cats can achieve that unlikely dream this season, and keep all of those exciting talents in the Sunderland squad together for at least another year.
It would be a real shame to see this project fall apart at the seams if the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg were to move on, but for now, Sunderland have to just ride the wave and enjoy the good times.