So far this season, Sunderland have not been at the races. After hitting such lofty heights last year, Regis Le Bris‘ side have been issued a healthy dose of reality in the Premier League.
Sunderland are currently bottom of the table. However, the manager spoke of his team’s spirit and their success in weathering adversity to combat a four-game losing streak and move within two points of safety.
That said, they have now gone 346 minutes without a goal in the top flight. That’s over three full games of football.
How Le Bris can fix Sunderland’s attacking struggles
Last season, Sunderland were one of the least creative teams in the Premier League. This year, currently, they rank eighth for big chances created (22), speaking toward gains made in that department, but struggles to finish incisively when in front of goal.
|
Biggest xG Underperformers in the Premier League (26/27) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Team |
Goals Scored |
xG ( + / – ) |
|
Nottingham Forest |
6 |
15.75 (+9.75) |
|
Bournemouth |
9 |
14.16 (+5.16) |
|
Sunderland |
6 |
11.04 (+5.04) |
|
Fulham |
7 |
12.02 (+5.02) |
|
Everton |
8 |
11.72 (+3.72) |
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
Brian Brobbey returned from injury against Leeds, but he blanked on a frustrating afternoon. Nilson Angulo shone down the left flank, too,
playing with the kind of gusto which we have not yet seen from summer signing Malick Fofana, who could make a difference when he clicks into gear, but was kept on the bench on Sunday.
Reporter James Copley said it was “probably his best game in a Sunderland shirt“, and while Angulo remains a raw and, at times, frustrating player, there is no question that he has the talent to become a leading man, forging a partnership with Brobbey in attack.
There is potential at the Stadium of Light, but Le Bris is struggling to realise it. Even last term, the Black Cats’ success was built on hard graft and togetherness, not their skill in fashioning so many chances.
Chris Rigg, by the way, was one of the brightest sparks in attack last time out. The homegrown talent is approaching 100 appearances for Sunderland, and against Leeds, he starred throughout only his second Premier League start of the season. He won four duels, made five defensive contributions and created a chance against a stern Leeds defence.
There may be calls for Chemsdine Talbi to feature more prominently, but Le Bris is not sold, and with the likes of Angulo and Rigg going from strength to strength, it actually looks like another Sunderland outcast may never wear the shirt again.
Sunderland outcast will never wear the shirt again
Sunderland need more options in attack, and it’s clear that the powers that be will need to invest sharply in another option or two in 2027 to provide a greater attacking threat at the Stadium of Light.
However, it doesn’t look like Simon Adingra will be returning to play a part in Le Bris’ system, with the emergence of Rigg and Angulo, coupled with the 24-year-old’s uninspiring loan spell with Ajax in the Netherlands, suggesting that his time at the club may be over.
Adingra joined Sunderland from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2025, but he lacked confidence in Le Bris’ system, failing to produce the right results and seeking a loan move away midway through the campaign. Now on loan with Ajax, Adingra has a purchase option in that contract which will likely see him depart Sunderland in 2027.
Adingra is a talented winger, and when he plied his craft on the seaside with Brighton, there’s no question that he was valued as an exciting prospect.
But for the Wearside outfit to have spent £21m plus add-ons on the Ivorian winger now feels like poor business. He failed to settle in Sunderland last season, scoring once across 14 Premier League matches before being loaned out to Monaco in France.
He wasn’t necessarily poor out in Ligue 1, but the fast-running winger certainly left a lot to be desired, lacking the authority and initiative that Sunderland thought they were paying for.
Walk down Sunderland streets and query fan opinion on Adingra, and you will likely be told – somewhat curtly – that Adingra was never interested in succeeding at the club. He never once viewed the Stadium of Light as his home.
An injury-stricken start to life in the Netherlands has limited the Ivory Coast international to just 30 minutes of football with Ajax this season. He has the chance to pick his career back up off the floor in the coming months, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that he will ever wear a Sunderland shirt again.
In all honesty, it’s not one to lose sleep over. Le Bris and his side need players ready to die for the badge. Adingra is not one of them.
