The Black Cats have undergone a brilliant squad transformation recently, and one stat shows just how much has changed.
Sunderland currently find themselves in the midst of a brilliant 2024/25 Championship campaign, with the Black Cats currently finding themselves sat 4th in the table.
The recent win at home to Sheffield United showed that Sunderland are certainly involved in the promotion conversation this season, something that is a remarkable feat considering the fact that the three sides around the Black Cats are reaping the rewards of parachute payments.
As well as this, Sunderland find themselves paying less in terms of wages compared to Sheffield United, Leeds United and Burnley.
However, this season has shown that the Black Cats aren’t far away from the top three in terms of quality, and there is one stat that truly symbolises how great of a job Regis Le Bris has done in regards to this.
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Sunderland team market value per salary paid shows clear transfer success recently
There is no disguising the fact that Sunderland aren’t on the same playing field as the top three when it comes to financial strength.
However, it really puts the job that Le Bris has done with his squad, and how Kristjaan Speakman has done in recent transfer windows into perspective when crunching the stats.
Per Transfermarkt, Sunderland currently have a market value of £96million, the third highest in the Championship. Initially, this suggests that Sunderland aren’t over-performing, but if you work out the salary of their side considering their market value, it truly is eye opening.
Per Capology, Sunderland are currently spending just £242,769 on gross salaries per week. This means that the Black Cats are reaping the rewards of £395.40 worth of market value for every pound spent in salary, meaning that they are massively succeeding at paying low wages for top-end players.
Comparing this to Leeds United, who have a market value of £146million, but a weekly salary of £715,000, they are just getting £204.20 per pound of salary.
Compared to all 24 Championship sides, Sunderland have the best value per pound of salary in the league, with Coventry City coming the closest with £299.20. The average across all teams in the league is £168.57.
Kristjaan Speakman deserves credit for recent transfer strategy
The underlying fact to take away from the numbers is the fact that Sunderland have clearly overperformed considering the wages that they are competing with, and Le Bris deserves so much credit for managing that.
On top of the Frenchman, the stats also outline just how successful Sunderland have been in managing their squad, and Speakman is ultimately the one to thank for that.
On the surface, Sunderland’s recent transfer business has been regarded as quite the mixed bag, but considering the low wages that they are paying for what is clearly one of the best squads in the Championship, it just shows how well the Black Cats are being run at the moment, and all signs are pointing towards the club continuing their upwards trajectory.