One Sunderland star has been statistically rated as the best player in the Championship so far.
The Black Cats have had many top performers at this early stage of the 2024/25 Championship season, and a lot of that comes down to the brilliant man-management by Regis Le Bris.
Sunderland have shone in particular on an attacking front, with Wilson Isidor displaying his qualities last time out against Oxford United with a brilliantly well-taken finish to give the Black Cats a two-goal lead.
Wingers Romaine Mundle and Patrick Roberts have also been impeccable up till now in the 2024/25 Championship campaign, something that was necessary to ensure that Le Bris’ side were able to perform without Jack Clarke after his departure to Ipswich Town.
However, neither of Sunderland’s attackers have been statistically proven as the Black Cats and the Championship’s best performer, and the man leading the way potentially comes as quite a surprise.
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Sunderland star Dennis Cirkin rated as top Championship performer this season
Defensively, the Black Cats have been on top form, with Chris Mepham notably being a revelation since his loan arrival this summer.
However, Sunderland’s top performer this season has in fact been Dennis Cirkin after he was handed an average rating of 7.42, per WhoScored, with his score being level with Norwich City attacker Borja Sainz.
Sunderland’s second and third best performers this season, who are respectively the top 5th and 6th Championship players this campaign, are Mundle and Jobe Bellingham, who have been given ratings of 7.29 and 7.28.
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Dennis Cirkin stats this season point towards how crucial he has been this season
The Black Cats full back’s impact on the squad can by no means be underestimated after playing all 1080 minutes of the Championship season so far.
He has been integral in Sunderland notching their seven clean sheets this season as, per SofaScore, he has managed an average of 3.7 tackles per game, 3.5 balls recovered per game and 2.9 clearances per game.
As for his creative side, Cirkin has averaged 64.3 touches per game, and his ability to make a difference when getting the ball forward has certainly made a significant difference after a 72% success rate of passes in the opposition half.
He, as well as all the other Sunderland defenders, has been ‘class’ up until this point, and there is no doubt that their abilities to not ship goals so far could make a significant difference by the end of the season.