Sunderland

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris, speaking to BBC MOTD: "We had the possession, but we had to find solutions to break their block. We tried, we created a few chances but we were not clinical enough.

"At the beginning of the season you can make mistakes, and they were really good at exploiting mistakes and scored twice."

On early season rustiness: "It is often the case. It is not unusual. Today it was massive because of the consequences, but this is the Premier League, it is ruthless. We know every team we face has quality.

"We have to lift our level when we are in this situation. Last season we struggled with this at times, so it is something to improve.

"Winning is important, but it is also about the style of play. Our regret is more about us because we made those mistakes. It is what it is.

"Good goal, nice goal, but obviously we are still disappointed because of the defeat.

"It is a process. In the Premier League you have to master different phases. We will learn from this experience."

Listen to more from Le Bris on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Sunderland have won their opening game in just one of their last nine Premier League campaigns (D4 L4) with that victory coming against West Ham United last season (3-0).

• Through Nilson Angulo's equaliser (1-1), Sunderland became the first team to see their first goal of a Premier League campaign come from a direct free-kick since Chelsea in 2021-22 (Alonso v Crystal Palace).

Josef Rindl
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland have had a quieter transfer window, holding on to their best players and only signing left-back Dayann Methalie and right-back Thomas Meunier who started on Saturday.

Last season, Regis Le Bris' side shocked the Premier League with a 3-0 opening-day win over West Ham on their way to an impressive seventh-placed finish.

On paper, the Black Cats were the stronger team on Saturday - and they had more of the possession, but created few clear-cut chances.

Other than the goal, their best chance came early in the second half at 1-1, but Brian Brobbey's close-range shot on the turn was blocked by Marcelino Nunez.

Sunderland's next match is at home to Fulham on Sunday, 30 August (14:00 BST).

They will also learn their league phase opponents in the Europa League in Friday's draw.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Ipswich's performance

What did you make of Sunderland's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday as the opening weekend continues, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Hull City v Man Utd (12:30)

• Everton v Crystal Palace - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Nottingham Forest v Leeds

• Brentford v Tottenham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated.

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You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Ipswich v Sunderland" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Tottenham match", for example.

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I must point out that Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil is a former Norwich player, so where do his loyalties really lie? And has he gone to Ipswich to sabotage them?

Seriously though, I wish him well and I genuinely hope for East Anglia that Ipswich can make a decent fist of it and stay up.

I really like some of their signings too - Daizen Maeda is a player I know well and is a really good piece of business, coming in from Celtic.

Maeda plays with such intensity. He will be the best pressing player in the Premier League bar none and, if you want to play on the counter-attack and you want someone to run in behind, there are not many quicker than him.

Seeing what Sunderland did last season, when they also signed lots of players after getting promoted, will give Ipswich hope. Ditto with Leeds, who also recruited well.

But then it is about knitting the new players together and connecting early on. That has to be O'Neil's aim, but it will be difficult.

Sunderland did so well they qualified for Europe, and I am not sure how their squad will cope with the extra games. For now, though, I think they will remind us of how good they were last season.

Like I said on Monday Night Club, I never saw another team beat Arsenal up the way they did.

They faded as the campaign went on and they are not going to surprise anyone this time, but they still have the leadership of Granit Xhaka in midfield and Wilson Isidor and Brian Brobbey up top to hurt teams.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich are back in the Premier League and Gary O'Neil's side face a tough task against a Sunderland side that excelled last season in qualifying for Europe. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes going into their opening-weekend encounter.

A promoted club spending big on a raft of ambitious signings from clubs around Europe. Sound familiar? Well, Ipswich have followed Sunderland's playbook from last season by spending big in the hope of giving themselves a better chance of survival than they had on their Premier League return two years ago.

Replicating the Black Cats' stunning achievement of qualifying for Europe will be a stretch of course, but the Tractor Boys hope a switch in recruitment policy will pay dividends.

During Kieran McKenna's four-and-a-half-year reign in charge at Portman Road a remarkable 32 of the 39 signings they made were either born or raised in Britain or Ireland, with just two joining directly from European clubs. However, this off season players have arrived who hail from the likes of Brazil, Japan and Ghana.

The summer hasn't all been plain sailing, though, given McKenna's bombshell departure from the club just a month after leading them to a third promotion in four seasons.

His replacement Gary O'Neil knows the Premier League well and also impressed at Strasbourg last season, but he has a point to prove having been wounded by the end of his tenure at Wolves. He won just two of his last 19 top-flight matches at Molineux and his reign was actually brought to an end by a fractious defeat to the Tractor Boys.

That win for Ipswich was one of only four they managed as their first top-flight season for 22 years ended in an immediate return to the Championship. Their form at Portman Road was particularly wretched in the second half of the season as they lost their last nine home league matches in a row to bow out with a whimper.

Tipped as relegation candidates at the start of last season, Sunderland defied the odds on their Premier League comeback to record their highest finish since 2000 with seventh place enough to secure European football for the first time in 53 years.

Having spent over £150m last summer they have gone the opposite way this time round with veteran Belgian defender Thomas Meunier their only major acquisition so far on a free transfer.

Arguably their most important piece of business was keeping hold of their key players and staving off a move from Chelsea for inspirational captain Granit Xhaka, who proved to be one of the signings of last season.

The strength of their recent recruitment was shown by their players doing so well at the World Cup. Only players from Real Madrid, PSG and Arsenal scored more goals in the USA, Canada and Mexico than their eight.

Balancing the rigours of the Europa League with the bread and butter of the Premier League will be a real challenge for Le Bris, but it is one he and his players are relishing.

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland's second summer signing Dayann Methalie says he "can't wait to pull on the shirt" after making the "easy decision" to pen a long-term contract at the Stadium of Light.

The 20-year-old left-back, who came through Toulouse's youth set-up, broke into their first team last season and made his Ligue 1 debut against Nice in August 2025.

Methalie made 30 appearances in all competitions last season as Toulouse recorded a ninth-place league finish and reached the French Cup semi-finals.

"I'm really excited to be here," Methalie, who will wear the number six shirt, said. "This is a brilliant time to join the club.

"I followed Sunderland's progress last season and it was incredible to see the team finish seventh in the Premier League and qualify for the Europa League.

"When I heard about the opportunity to come here, it was an easy decision. I know how ambitious the club is and I want to help the team continue to progress and give the supporters plenty to be proud about."

Director of Football Florent Ghisolfi said: "He is a player we have appreciated and followed for a long time. We believe his qualities are very well suited to Sunderland, both in terms of our football identity and the personality within the group.

"Despite his young age, he has already shown a lot of quality and potential. His performances over the past year have naturally attracted interest from several clubs, however he showed a very strong desire to join Sunderland."

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland had a fantastic season back in the Premier League as they qualified for Europe for the first time in 53 years by finishing seventh.

But, the fact that they ranked 18th for expected goal difference suggests there's much to improve on if they want to truly establish themselves again in the top flight.

The Black Cats' attack was one of the tamest in the league. Only Wolves, Burnley and Crystal Palace scored fewer goals, while just the bottom two sides took fewer shots and had a lower xG going forward.

Although only Burnley and West Ham gave up more shots at the back, Sunderland were much better defensively. Only champions Arsenal conceded a lower percentage of their opponents' shots and that's largely because only the Gunners gave up harder chances to score on average, although the Black Cats still let in six goals fewer than expected given the quality of chances they faced.

Overall, only Manchester City and Aston Villa overperformed their xG numbers by more than Regis le Bris' side - and with Europe to contend with, it would be no surprise if they had a less incredible season this time around.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

In the Premier League last season, 13 of the 20 teams finished with between 40 and 60 points - the most in an English top-flight campaign since 2003-04 (also 13).

Was the Premier League so competitive in 2025-26 because the quality of the 'lesser' teams got better or the top teams got worse? It is hard to know for sure.

Given how savvy clubs like Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth are, the vast amounts of money that enable even bottom-half sides to sign the best talent from abroad and the Premier League's current dominance of the Europa League and Conference League, it would seem to be the former.

However, the fact that promoted play-off winners Sunderland were able to finish above 13 teams in their first season back suggests the league was maybe not as strong as we think.

What we do know is that whether because they got worse or their opponents got better, four of the sides that finished in the top seven in 2024-25 - champions Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest - took 79 points fewer between them last season.

While Forest's decline was perhaps expected given their incredible seventh-place finish in 2024-25 and their journey to the Europa League semi-finals last season, the others were far more surprising.

Sunderland and Leeds smashed the recent run of promoted sides struggling to compete by taking 64 more points than the teams they replaced in the top flight.

As a result, this season will be a bit of an upside-down one in that Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland have European campaigns to navigate while Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle do not.

Will we therefore see a bounce-back to the more 'traditional' order in 2026-27 or are we truly entering a new, fiercely-competitive era of the Premier League?

Read more on the Premier League's competitiveness

Grace Wheeler
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against newly promoted Ipswich at Portman Road (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On the upcoming campaign, which will feature European football in the Europa League: "I am excited. We are going into one of the most exiting seasons in 52 years. It will be challenging but a big boost for the club and the lads last season earned it."

• He added: "We're back in Europe and competing in the Premier League, so we know it's going to be challenging, but we earned it."

• On team news: "All of our player are available expect Simon [Adingra]. We will see about the game time because they [all the players] are not the same fitness-wise."

• Asked how important the first game of the season is, Le Bris replied: "It is important to start well because you build the momentum, but you still have an opponent. And you can lose - that is possible. The only thing we have under control is us and after that, you will see the results."

• He added: "If we follow the pundits and the odds it's hard to be positive. It's about being Sunderland and not the odds. We will stay true to ourselves."

• When asked about a deal for Toulouse left-back Dayann Methalie, who reportedly has had issues with a medical after the Black Cats agreed a £25.6m fee to sign the 20-year-old last week, Le Bris said: "No comment."

• On the situation of captain Granit Xhaka, who was a target for Chelsea earlier this summer: "Behind the scenes, nothing happened with him. It is really clear - he loves this club and this group. He loves to be a part of this journey."

• On transfer business more generally, he added: "It is good to keep the core of the group. Players want to stay in Sunderland and that is big. It is quality not quantity and we want the same dynamic as last season."

• Le Bris said the market "isn't easy" but he "trusts the club and the process of the window". He added: "If we don't have early signings this season there is a reason. It's not because we don't want to achieve the targets but because it is not possible at the minute."

Hit play above to hear more from Le Bris, speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle's Nick Barnes, or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to full commentary of Ipswich v Sunderland on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 and BBC Sounds on Saturday

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BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes says a deal to sign Dayann Methalie from Toulouse is "not over" despite reports it had collapsed after concerns were raised over his medical.

The Black Cats had agreed a £25.6m fee to sign the 20-year-old left-back last week.

"It's not a deal that's dead," Barnes told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It's a deal that they still want to go through. It is obviously taking a little bit longer than they hoped. The player himself is understandably distraught at being flown over here and being impressed with everything to having to go back to France and do an investigation into what has caused this delay.

"The club very much still want to sign him, it's now about going through the process in France and that side of the medical.

"It's very much a deal that they still want to happen. It's not over. It's not a done deal but the process continues."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Last season: 7th.

This season: 17th.

What Sunderland and Regis le Bris achieved last season was close to miraculous, as they went from pretty much unanimous relegation tips to Europa League qualification.

Can they produce a repeat performance?

I'm not so sure, although keeping Granit Xhaka from the clutches of Chelsea was huge, in what has been a quiet summer so far in terms of incoming transfers.

Brian Brobbey showed what a threat he is with the Netherlands at the World Cup but this campaign may just be a reality check for the Black Cats after the dreamland of last term.

• Read more of Phil's predictions

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Teams in the bottom half of the Premier League in 2025-26 finished with more points than they had in years, meaning that judging them simply by their position in the table is perhaps a little harsh.

Everton may have been underwhelmed with their 13th-place finish but it was the most points a team in that position had finished with since the Toffees themselves in 1999-2000.

The points of the four places below them were all the highest they have been in the Premier League for 23 years and West Ham can consider themselves unlucky to have gone down with the highest points total for an 18th-placed side since 2010-11.

However, competition has come at a cost.

One place where the Premier League has become less competitive - because it has become more fiercely-contested overall - is at the very bottom.

While it is almost expected for one side to be cut adrift long before the end of the season, nowadays two sides are getting left behind.

The average points tally of the second-bottom side in a 38-game season is 31, meaning teams that finish there have usually competed in a relegation battle for most of the season before ultimately falling short.

After the Premier League was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, only two 19th-placed sides failed to reach 30 points in the first 21 seasons. But in the past decade, seven of the 10 sides to finish in that position have failed to do so.

In the past two seasons, promoted sides Ipswich and Burnley have both finished there with just 22 points - the fewest ever taken by a second-bottom side.

Relegation battles are now mostly a fight to see who takes the final spot in the bottom three, with the other two accounted for long before the final day - often by promoted sides.

But inspired by the survival of Sunderland and Leeds, promoted trio Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City will all be hoping they have what it takes to match the competitiveness of the Premier League this season.

Read more on the Premier League's competitive numbers

Sunderland could shatter their transfer record by triggering the 60m euros (£51m) release clause for Sporting's Mozambique winger Geny Catamo, 25. (Teamtalk), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

This was a surprise as on Tuesday afternoon everything seemed fine with the deal for Dayann Methalie.

The player had flown in a day or so ago for his medical. Then it transpires there is clearly an issue. Reading between the lines it appears to be an issue with a light back injury. He hasn't failed the whole medical but one aspect of the medical that seems to be the problem.

As a consequence he has flown back to France, to his club Toulouse. No doubt they will want to see for themselves. The deal is on hold, not off. You could say it's in the balance.

It's a player they clearly like and want. They thought a deal had been agreed. I imagine what will happen is they will get the diagnosis from the Toulouse point of view, compare it to what they found here and then there will be negotiations about restructuring the deal - so there is less risk Sunderland take on board for the deal.

Listen to Nick below or explore Sunderland content on BBC Sounds

Sunderland's £25.7m move for Toulouse and France Under-21 defender Dayann Methalie, 20, is in danger of collapsing after concerns were raised over his medical. (Daily Mail), external

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

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European youth football expert Alfred Frank says Dayann Methalie has the "most potential" of any player in his position currently on the market after Sunderland agreed a £25.6m deal to sign the French defender from Toulouse.

Frank compares the 20-year-old defender to Paris Saint-Germain's Nuno Mendes, who is considered one of the best in the world at left back.

He explained: "I think the player who Mathalie has been most compared to is Nuno Mendes, so with all dimensions considered in terms of style of play, I think you can imagine what type of style and attributes you're going to find in a player like Mathalie.

"I think the price nowadays for players of his age coming from France especially comes a lot with the potential that there is behind the player and I think in terms of full-back, I think in my opinion he's got the most potential on the market at the moment.

"The high price is if you're going off potential and you also have to take into consideration that due to the French national team's lack of players in his position, he could be a part of Zinedine Zidane's squad this season.

"As soon as he makes that call-up to the France squad, his price will take a big increase. Signing him before he makes that France senior team debut is definitely a good move from my point of view.

"I think Methalie has been mentioned for some time as a serious candidate for the France team. He has been linked with a lot of top clubs in the past and the expectations with the France fans are the highest we have seen with a full-back prospect for a while."

Listen to the full clip above or on BBC Sounds

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Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Last season, the Premier League was arguably more competitive than it has been for years.

While the 65 points between champions Arsenal and bottom side Wolves was around the average for a 38-game season (63), a real revolution took place in mid-table.

Since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, the gap between the top four and the bottom three – between what has often been the Champions League and the Championship – had been increasing as the seasons went by, with the 'bigger' clubs profiting from their European adventures and the extra money they earned by regularly finishing higher in the table.

But last season, the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' of the Premier League dropped from 44 points in 2024-25 to just 26 points – the smallest distance for 23 years (since 25 points in 2002-03).

The European places were more attainable than they had been for years. Despite taking a point fewer than when they finished seventh the season before, Aston Villa clinched Champions League qualification by finishing two places higher.

While Liverpool took the 'bonus' Champions League place by finishing fifth, their points total of 60 was the lowest by a side finishing there for 19 years and would have put them ninth in 2024-25.

Bournemouth and Sunderland also took full advantage of needing fewer points than normal by qualifying for European competition for the first time ever and for over half a century respectively.

Read more on the Premier League's competitive numbers