Sunderland

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Former Sunderland forward Marco Gabbdiani has been speaking about Sunderland's transfer strategy this summer and Regis Le Bris' desire to have a "core squad" of around 20 players.

"Some of it comes down to logistical planning for numbers in training sessions. It's very difficult to put sessions on for 24, 26 players. It's almost impossible." Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It makes sense that he [Le Bris] wants his core 20. That would be three of four more senior and experienced players [being signed].

"From the sounds of it, another three or four could come in who might be on the fringe and might not be in contention for every game. There are a number of players like that already in the squad who have been going out on loan for the last few seasons - is it time for them to move on?

"It all sounds very sensible. We have seen with clubs like Chelsea, who have got 30, 35 players who they have paid huge amounts for, it can be very difficult to manage them at times."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

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Haiti may not have won a point at the World Cup but Sunderland's Wilson Isidor will never forget the feeling of scoring for his country at the tournament.

Isidor's strike from outside the box against Morocco was one of the contenders for goal of the tournament and, speaking in Nashville before Sunderland's friendly against Liverpool this weekend, the 25-year-old admitted that, even a month on, he still thinks about that strike.

"I've looked at it almost a thousand times, probably more. I think about it every day and people remind me every day too. It was a great moment," Isidor told BBC Sport.

"We know the Haitian people were waiting for some emotion at the World Cup. When I saw the celebrations in the country, it made me so emotional. It's the greatest moment of my career so far."

Regis le Bris' Sunderland squad travelled to the United States on Wednesday, with Isidor joining up with his team-mates having stayed in the country after the World Cup.

When asked about Saturday's encounter with Liverpool, who have a new head coach in Andoni Iraola, Isidor said: "If somebody says to me that the game on Saturday is friendly, he's lying.

"It's not possible to have a friendly game when you play Liverpool. We'll give everything."

The 25-year-old has been with the Black Cats since 2024, is eager to push on after Sunderland qualified for the Europa League by finishing seventh in the Premier League.

"The first year in the Premier League was kind of ok with six goals," said Isidor, who joined Sunderland from Zenit St Petersburg two years ago. "Now I want to score more than six goals because I've tasted it.

"I was in a bad situation not playing in Russia. He [Le Bris] trusted me in the moment when no-one trusted me, so I will remember him for life."

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Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson says every game on the club's pre-season tour of the US will have its own significance as his side prepare to face Premier League opposition.

Parkinson's men face Leeds United in Tampa on Sunday, 26 July before facing Liverpool at the iconic Yankee Stadium in New York four days later.

Their final pre-season game is against Parkinson's former club Sunderland on Sunday, 2 August in Philadelphia, hometown of Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac.

Wrexham have never met Leeds United in a competitive game, with the clubs meeting only twice in pre-season matches in 1964.

"I think they've all got a special feel to it really," Parkinson said.

"It's quite amazing, really, when you think we've never met Leeds United in a competitive game. It's a brilliant club.

"Obviously going to New York to play Liverpool, an iconic stage and it's going to be something special.

"Then going to Philadelphia, a stadium we've been to before and a really good arena for football and playing against Sunderland.

"Obviously, me and Steve [Parkin] were there for a short period, but that's kind of irrelevant really.

"It's going to Rob's hometown and putting on a show for him and his family as well."

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We asked you to pick one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want Sunderland to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Here are some of your suggestions:

Liam: For one out, I think we should sell Alan Browne because he is more of a Championship player and he will never get a game for us. For one in, I think we need another central defender but I'm not sure who I would pick.

Phillip: We are in need of another left-back to cover Reinildo Mandava. We could also do with another centre-half, especially with the many injuries to Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete last season. A holding midfielder would also help Granit Xhaka with all the workload this season. Not many people have mentioned him but I'd love to get Ross Barkley in. I think he'd be a good addition and relatively cheap.

Dave: I would love to see us going after Maxi Araujo of Sporting, Curtis Jones of Liverpool and Daizen Maeda of Celtic. Just my thoughts, but I think the club's data-led recruitment strategy would most likely rule out these kind of signings.

Stephen: Being realistic, USA and Monaco forward Folarin Balogun would be ideal. We definitely need someone who can constantly score goals. He has two years left on his five-year contract at Monaco, so it's whether they would be willing to cash in before his contract ends. Considering what his salary is at Monaco, I'm sure Sunderland could even give him a substantial pay rise.

Denise: There's not a single player I'd like to move on this season. We do need to add players to our squad, but not as replacements. We need them to help us cope with the challenging season ahead.

Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.

If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.

Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.

So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?

BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.

There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.

Lock in your first round of predictions before Friday, 24 July here

If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:

• Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.

• For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.

• Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.

• Share your results with your friends and family.

• Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport Journalist

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The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.

On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.

Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.

Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.

The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.

That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.

When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.

Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.

The next milestone may not be far away.

While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.

• Read more on transfer fee evolution

With the 2026 World Cup done and dusted, the return of club football is back on everyone's minds.

Pre-season preparations are under way and we want you to have a think about Sunderland's squad.

Tell us one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want the Black Cats to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Get in touch with your picks here

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Thirty-four years ago a £13m transfer caused national outrage in Italy.

When AC Milan signed Gianluigi Lentini from Torino in 1992 for a then world record fee, newspapers called the deal "obscene", while the Vatican's official newspaper described it as "an offence against the dignity of work".

Today that fee would barely register among the Premier League's biggest transfers.

This summer alone Chelsea have agreed a club record £117m deal for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham spent a club record £100m on Sandro Tonali.

These are not the only major deals. Tottenham also agreed an £85m move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Barcelona paid £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and Manchester United spent £50m on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.

It is the first transfer window in Premier League history to produce three £100m-plus signings - and there are still weeks to go before deadline day on 1 September.

During the 2025 summer window English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.

So why are transfer fees continuing to climb? Why are clubs paying record sums for players already playing in England? And why are more clubs willing to sell some of their biggest stars?

Read more here on the big spending taking place in the Premier League

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Regis le Bris has stressed the importance of building "a squad ready for both competitions" as his Sunderland side prepare for their first European campaign since 1973 in only their second season back in the Premier League.

The Black Cats opened their pre-season with a dominant 5-1 victory over National League side York City, with Enzo Le Fee scoring twice and further goals from Chris Rigg, Timur Tutierov and Tom Proctor.

"It's important to build a squad ready for both competitions," Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes after the game at the LNER Community Stadium.

"First of all, the Premier League is going to be our main target as usual, and after that it's important to strengthen the group with two or three, four maybe, core players I would say to strengthen the foundations.

"And after that, we need a full group of almost 20 to be able to manage every competition."

Despite 11 members of the Sunderland squad still being on holiday after featuring at the World Cup, 23 Black Cats players still featured in Saturday's game, with Le Bris changing his entire side at half-time before Leo Hjelde was forced off through injury during the second half and replaced by academy youngster Ben Kindon.

"We'll go through this pre-season with different issues and dynamics to manage. We don't want to rush the the game time for our players. It was the good timing today from 11, the first 11, and then the young lads came in during the second half.

"And for the players who experienced the World Club, we'll have to build the first layers without this game time at the beginning, or at least with a short game time."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds here

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Regis le Bris praised Sunderland's disciplined start to pre-season after a 5-1 victory over York City.

Enzo Le Fée scored twice and further goals came from Chris Rigg, Timur Tutierov and Tom Proctor.

The game looked to be good preparation for the Black Cats' 12-day tour of the United States next week, where they will face Liverpool, Leeds United and Wrexham.

Speaking post-match, Le Bris said: "We gave 45 minutes to each team who have been connected with the training workflow.

"It is important to experience game situations, and to be fair, York played good football this afternoon.

"They tested our defensive structure, and in the first half we were able to score four goals, so it was good.

"We will go through this pre-season with different issues and dynamics to manage. We don't want to rush the game time for our players.

"For the players who experienced the World Cup, we will have to build the first layers without much game time at the beginning, with only short periods on the pitch.

"When we face Lens and Rennes, I hope we have the full squad available.

"It is important to build a squad ready for both competitions.

"The Premier League will be our main target, so it is important to strengthen the group with three or four core players.

"We need to strengthen the foundations and, after that, we will need a full group to manage the demands."

Image source, Getty Images

With pre-season officially in full swing, we asked you to tell us what you're looking forward to about club football returning.

Here are some of your replies:

Stephen: I'm waiting to see what impact the World Cup has had on our players that took part. We are facing a challenging season ahead and a summer break would have been great for all of our players to recharge, both physically and mentally. We have a limited squad so we're going to have to rely repeatedly on the same players. We cannot afford the burnout of certain players.

Trevor: I'm looking forward to the Europa League draw and hopefully another fantastic season in the Premier League.

Davey: I'm looking forward to European football. I was only two years old the last time we were there, so I'm excited for some trips around Europe.

Lesley: I'm really looking forward to the sleepless nights and constant anxiety until we get to a point in the season where we are definitely not going to be relegated. That's Mackem life!

Denise: The main thing is we have been able to keep hold of our key players. If that hadn't been the case, we would have been having a completely different conversation. We do need additions to our squad to cope with the campaign ahead - an out-and-out goalscorer would be wonderful, but any quality addition would be great.

French football expert Baptiste Reynaud has told Total Sport all about new Black Cats signing of Thomas Meunier.

The 34-year-old defender has joined on a two-year deal, having been a free agent following his departure from Lille.

Reynaud said: "I think he's a great signing when you consider he is a free transfer. His experience and versatility makes for a good signing. It's a low risk investment.

"He has said he's still ambitious and wants to join an ambitious club. He said he wants to play until he's 40. He's come off the back of a strong season. I think the fact he's moving to Sunderland shows he's hungry.

"He's been in good physical shape throughout his career. I think he can adapt to different kinds of roles tactically, but also in the dressing room, which is a positive."

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here

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We asked for your views on Sunderland's new membership scheme, which has quickly become a divisive issue among the fanbase

Here are some of your comments:

RE: Like many of us, I was there week in, week out through successive relegations. I was there through the humiliation of League One. I was there for every home game through successive promotion campaigns and campaigns when we missed out. Now we have all the plastic supporters turning back up when the Premier League, and now Europe, beckons. These supporters' memberships seem primarily aimed at those who don't have season tickets to enter a ballot for league home tickets and cup home games. That is after the season ticket-holders have had first refusal on cup games. The way I see it, this is rewarding the loyalty of the season ticket-holders who have been there through the hard times and asking those who just want to be here when things are going well to put their money where their mouth is.

Martin: For a fan who has supported the club for over 50 years, it doesn't seem very fair to me.

Thomas: I'm a massive Sunderland supporter and have been a season ticket-holder in the past, but now, because of family and work commitments, I only get to one or two games a year. Having to pay £48 to be able to get these tickets feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth, cost upon cost. It's not as if the Stadium of Light will be flooded with tourists trying to get tickets. Even with Premier League football, the bulk of those buying tickets will be genuine fans. I will get the membership to guarantee getting those couple of tickets, but will do so begrudgingly.

Peter: As a long-term season ticket-holder, I haven't been able to get to away games over the past four years. I have tried but, without points, tickets were impossible to get hold of. At least this gives me a slim chance.

Peter: Not sure I see any benefits for season ticket-holders.

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Sunderland full-back Timothee Pembele has joined Ligue 1 side Le Havre on a permanent deal.

The 23-year-old, who had struggled for fitness since signing from Paris St-Germain in September 2023, made just eight first-team appearances for the Black Cats.

Pembele impressed during two separate loan spells with the French club though, making 35 appearances and scoring one goal.

Sunderland are lining up a move to sign 19-year-old French defender Dayann Methalie from Toulouse. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Sunderland supporters are currently debating the club's new membership scheme, which has quickly become a divisive issue among the fanbase.

The new scheme means the only club in the Premier League without a membership offering some sort of ticket priority system is Bournemouth.

Explaining the situation, BBC Radio Newcastle's Nick Barnes said: "The scheme is open to all fans and it works on three different levels with a variety of benefits depending on which category you pay for.

"The annual fees range from £20 to £48. Membership schemes are common in the Premier League because it allows clubs to tap into their support abroad, but the scheme is also aimed at offering members priority to tickets and this is where there is some debate. I have seen a fair amount of debate about the fairness of the scheme reading through the comments on social media and it seems fans are split.

"Those in favour because it gives them a better chance to buy away tickets through a ballot, but it's worth stressing those with Black Cat points will still get priority and 90% of away tickets. But, the scheme allows season card holders who possibly couldn't go to many away games a chance to buy tickets and it opens the door to a generation to get on the ladder for Black Cat's points.

"I've seen some concerns from fans who would want more than one ticket and whether, if they can get more than one, they can sit together.

"If you're not a season card holder then to get tickets for home games you'd have to join the scheme in the Black Cats adult or academy category because the waiting list is officially closed, but the membership scheme will give you a place on that waiting list."

How do you feel about the new membership scheme? And what concerns, if any, has it raised for you?

Let us know here

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Thomas Meunier says belief in the project and being impressed by Sunderland's "ambition and desire to keep moving forward" were behind his decision to join the club.

The 34-year-old defender has joined on a two-year deal, having been a free agent following his departure from Lille.

Meunier has made more than 550 senior appearances, including 83 international caps, across an impressive career that has included spells at European giants Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, and is looking to bring his experience to the Black Cats as they prepare for their first European campaign since 1973.

"I am hugely excited and honoured to join Sunderland," he told club media.

"When I spoke with the club, I was impressed by the ambition, the project and the desire to keep moving forward.

"I'm here today because I believe in the project. I saw the squad last season, the results and the quality. I think we can achieve at least the same season as last year.

"When I got the call from Sunderland asking me to be part of the project, of course it's the Premier League - it's even bigger than European football. But with the Europa League next to it, and for the first time in 50 years, I was attracted directly. So, I didn't hesitate.

"I made the choice to come to Sunderland because I really want to be here."

Director of Football Florent Ghisolfi added: "Thomas is a player who understands what it takes to compete for success, and we're confident his mentality and character will have a positive influence on the squad.

"We believe he'll make an important contribution on and off the pitch, and we're excited to see him begin this new chapter with us. It feels like a great fit."

Sunderland are set to complete the signing of Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier following the 34-year-old's departure from Lille. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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The World Cup is doing a fantastic job of filling the Premier League void, but there is nothing quite like club football.

As the tournament in North America heads towards its climax, there is a Sunderland fanbase waiting for the 2026-27 season with anticipation.

So, it has got us thinking: what are you looking forward to most about club football resuming?

Get in touch with your views here

Pre-season is just around the corner and the Premier League returns in less than 50 days.

Here is Sunderland's pre-season schedule - with kick-off times in BST.

• 18 July v York (A) - 15:00

• 25 July v Liverpool (Nashville) - 23:00

• 30 July v Leeds (New Jersey) - 00:30 (29 July US time)

• 2 August v Wrexham (Philadelphia) - 18:00

• 8 August v Lens (A) - 11:00 (behind closed doors) & 16:00

• 15 August v Rennes (H) - 15:00

Sunderland, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Fulham and Brighton are all interested in 20-year-old Sweden and Barcelona winger Roony Bardghji. (Sport, via Sport Witness), external

Hit play below to hear a round-up of Sunderland transfer rumours or listen on BBC Sounds here

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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