Sunderland are just two days away from kickstarting their 2024/25 campaign.
Sunderland fans were left miserable when last season finally came to an end, having finished only three points from the bottom three.
Things were looking far from promising as the summer began, with the Black Cats waiting almost two months to appoint Regis Le Bris.
The club have since gone onto sign three new signings away from their usual transfer policy, while they are still working on a deal to bring striker Alexandre Mendy to Wearside.
Le Bris has come under plenty of praise from his squad too and it seems like spirits are beginning to rise at the Stadium of Light.
There are very few people predicting Sunderland to have a season as bad as the last, while some have even tipped them to reach the play-offs for the second time in three years.
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Mike McGrath reckons Sunderland will be in League One next season
However, journalist Mike McGrath has made his own prediction that will surprise most supporters.
Speaking to The Telegraph, McGrath tipped Sunderland to be relegated to League One, alongside Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle.
He wrote: “Oxford may have come up sooner than expected. Sunderland have been on a bad run and have an unproven manager. Wayne Rooney has it all to do at Plymouth after they just survived last season.”
Sunderland’s season is hard to predict, but relegation is not on the cards
A lot of football fans may have felt the same right at the start of the season, but McGrath’s prediction makes it sound like he hasn’t particularly paid attention to Sunderland since.
The Black Cats’ poor form was because of their lack of experience and also the fact that Mike Dodds simply isn’t cut out to be a head coach.
To criticise the team’s ‘bad run’ would be fair if we were still into last season, but it’s not uncommon for clubs to completely turn things around after an entire transfer window and preseason campaign.
They have now also brought in the likes of Alan Browne and Ian Poveda, while Le Bris looks set to freshen up the tactics and has a proven track record of developing young players.
Sunderland have also tied down both Dan Ballard and Chris Rigg, while Jobe Bellingham is also set to stay.
Not only that, but they have so far managed to keep hold of all their prized assets – with Jack Clarke yet to even receive a bid for his signature.
If the Wearside outfit can tie down Mendy or another proven goalscorer then they will undoubtedly have one of the most talented squads in the Championship.
Things are looking up on Wearside, and while it is hard to predict how their season will go, predicting relegation seems a little far-fetched.