BBC Radio Newcastle have given a round-up of Sunderland news including transfer gossip, an under-21s report and, from the World Cup, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk discusses Netherlands team-mate and Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey.
Click play above to hear the full rundown or listen on BBC Sounds here
Image source, Getty Images
Some of you have used our Ask Me Anything service to query key European dates for next season.
Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace will play in the Europa League next season, with the league phase draw taking place on Friday, 28 August.
The first round of games will be played on either 16 or 17 September and there will be eight matchdays that culminate on 28 January 2027.
From there, it is knockout football with the final taking place in Frankfurt on 26 May 2027.
League phase games will be played:
16/17 September 2026
15 October 2026
22 October 2026
5 November 2026
26 November 2026
10 December 2026
21 January 2027
28 January 2027
Knockout games will be played:
Knockout phase play-offs - 18 and 25 February 2027
Round of 16 - 11 and 18 March 2027
Quarter-finals - 8 and 15 April 2027
Semi-finals - 29 April and 6 May 2027
Final - 26 May 2027
Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey scored twice in Netherlands 5-1 win against Sweden in the World Cup group stage, sparking excitement on social media about the physical forward.
Dutch football journalist Michael Statham assures fans of the Black Cats that Brobbey's performance is a positive for Regis le Bris' side after some fears that more eye-catching performances may lead to interest from Europe's elite.
"I don't know about any sort of plans for him in the transfer window this summer. I'll be surprised if he leaves after one year with Sunderland," he said.
"I think it's only a good thing. Why not? Sunderland fans should definitely be celebrating the success of Brobbey.
"I think it's only a good thing. He will only get better from this. This guy is still quite a young striker, so yes, this will only be a growth for him."
Listen to more about Brobbey's performance above or hear more Sunderland news, analysis and interviews on BBC Sounds.
Regis le Bris' impact at Sunderland has caught most observers by surprise.
That's the view of BBC Radio Newcastle's Nick Barnes as 22 June marks two years to the day since Le Bris joined the Black Cats.
He has since led the Black Cats to promotion to the Premier League and guided them to European football for the first time in over 50 years.
Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle, Barnes said: "He's done an outstanding job - when you go back over the history of the club over the last few decades - to achieve what he's achieved in what is a relatively short space of time.
"I say a relatively short space of time, for him to actually be in the job as Sunderland head coach or manager for two years, in Sunderland terms that's an era.
"That's like he's been in charge of this football club for all time because the longevity of managers at Sunderland has been so short over the decades that that in itself is fairly remarkable.
"It just shows the fact that what he's achieved underlines just how big a job he's done since he arrived and I don't think anybody really foresaw what was going to happen.
"Nobody really knew anything about him, he came completely in from the dark and now everybody knows who Le Bris is."
Listen to the full conversation on BBC Sounds or by clicking play on the clip above
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Regis le Bris' two years at Sunderland and your expectations for the season ahead.
Here are some of your comments:
Anne: Make Le Bris an offer he can't refuse. Reflect on that amazing atmosphere of the last day when we beat Chelsea and found ourselves in Europe. Astonishing achievement in two years.
Stephen: This is the best foundation throughout the club I have witnessed in 50 years of watching them (was at the last game in Europe against Sporting in 1973). Appreciate the need to morph and grow but don't let this guy go. His whole mental approach and tactical awareness has been behind the improved performance. Tie the fellow down to a Ferguson-type contract.
Freddie: He's been our best manager in my, admittedly short, lifetime, and I would be devastated to see him go. He's a club legend already - when's the statue coming, Kyril?
Jura: Before his arrival, we were massively underperforming. Le Bris almost immediately changed us into a tactically disciplined team and led us to promotion in his first season. We have now had our first year in the Premier League and we rose above all pre-season expectations and have even qualified for Europe. There's a lot of high-profile managers in the Premier League and I often wonder whether these same managers could have achieved what Le Bris has at Sunderland in such a short time.
Stephen: If he continues doing what he's doing at Sunderland, Sunderland won't want him to go anywhere - and I've got every confidence he'll continue doing what he's doing. The nemesis for Sunderland is other clubs trying to coax him away, either by offering him a salary too good to refuse or maybe even a French club, with France being his home country.
Image source, Getty ImagesMonday marks two full years since Regis le Bris took charge of Sunderland.
The Frenchman signed a three-year deal to replace Mike Dodds on 22 June 2024, and penned a one-year extension at the start of the 2025-26 campaign. He guided the Black Cats out of the Championship and back into the Premier League in his first season, and then into the 2026-27 Europa League in his second.
Steve Bruce was the most recent boss to last longer than two years - from June 2009 to November 2011. Since then, Sunderland have had 14 full-time bosses and 19 who have taken charge of games.
So, as Le Bris enters his third contracted year at the club, how long do you think he will stay? And what are your expectations for the season ahead?
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini believes academy graduate Harrison Jones' move to Peterborough is "great news" as he looks to progress in senior football.
Jones joined the Black Cats age six and made seven appearances for the club in all competitions before agreeing a three-year deal with Peterborough.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, Gabbiadini said: "That's great news for the young man because he's off and running in his professional career and I'm sure he will be a player that will be looking to start the season and getting 20/30 games under his belt and then the world is his oyster.
"Good luck to him. You're trying to produce players from your academy to be in your first-team but you're also trying to create footballers who can go on to other clubs.
"Hopefully, he can go and start a long career for him."
Netherlands have all but guaranteed their place in the last 32 of the World Cup after a dominant display against Sweden on Saturday.
Sunderland's Brian Brobbey scored twice in the 5-1 victory to help see off Graham Potter's side and you can catch all of the best action in the highlights below.
Rennes are set to move for Sunderland striker Eliezer Mayenda. (Foot Mercato - in French), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman is in advanced talks with FC Copenhagen over a similar position at the Danish club.
Speakman, who left Sunderland in February, played a key role in the club's eventual promotion back to the Premier League during the 2024-25 season, having joined in 2020 when they were in League One.
Talks are well underway and are said to be advancing.
Earlier this year the Danish side parted ways with former sporting director Sune Smith-Nielsen and publicly outlined their intention to appoint a replacement.
In confirming his exit, Sunderland chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus said: "Kristjaan has made an important contribution to Sunderland AFC during a period of significant transition and growth, helping to rebuild the club and restore its place in the Premier League."
Sunderland will kick off their 2026-27 Premier League campaign with a trip to newly promoted Ipswich Town.
The match will take place on Saturday, 22 August at 15:00 BST, with the Black Cats' first home fixture against Fulham on the weekend of 29-30 August.
Regis le Bris' side face Everton (A), Manchester United (A), Hull City (H) and Liverpool (H) over the Christmas and New Year period.
And they end their league season against Manchester City at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, 30 May, when all games will kick off at the same time.
Image source, Getty ImagesWith the countdown to the 2026-27 Premier League fixture release well and truly on, we asked for your stories of opening-day games - both good and bad - that have stuck in your minds most. And you delivered.
Here are some of your replies:
Dave: Last season's opening day win over West Ham will live long in the memory. The sun was shining, we played good football and we got a win after promotion - but that is really recent. The best overall memory for me is when we played Tottenham at the start of 2007-08. We had gone from bottom of the league to Championship winners under Roy Keane. There was a level of excitement around the stadium that he brought with him, a fearless approach to any game. It was tense and, after winning, the whole stadium had a party atmosphere.
Chris: The best opening day was in 1984. It was Gary Bennett's debut and he made it against Southampton at Roker Park. We won 3-1 and Benno scored early.
Andy: I remember Chelsea away on 7 August 1999, our first game back in the Premier League after two seasons out. I was invited by a kind friend who was a Chelsea fan, so I stuck out like a sore thumb among the blue shirts. We got beaten 4-0 and we were lucky to get nil.
Keith: Sunderland v Arsenal in 2001. A new football season and an almost new stadium. I remember Stanislav Varga's amazing cross-field passes early in the game, along with his elegance and great positional play. He was injured not long after and he was never the same again, but that's football. We won... I think.
Steve: The best has to be the 3-0 win over West Ham last season on our return to the Premier League. The worst was probably losing 4-0 at Chelsea also on our return in 1999 under Peter Reid - although he turned things around quickly to finish seventh that season.
Come back to this page at 10:00 BST to see how the Black Cat's 2026-27 Premier League fixtures have fallen.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe sight of Granit Xhaxa excelling is familiar to Sunderland fans and the midfielder was doing just that as his side beat Bosnia 4-1 in their second World Cup fixture.
Xhaka confidently swept home a late penalty and you can see it in the highlights below.
Former Sunderland midfielder Darren Williams says former team-mate Eric Roy "always had a smile on his face" during his short stint at the Stadium of Light.
Roy, who was managing Ligue 1 club Brest, died on Wednesday. He had been suffering with pancreatic cancer.
The pair played together in the 1999-00 season, helping the newly promoted Black Cats to an impressive seventh-place finish in the Premier League.
Roy, who played as a defensive midfielder, scored one goal and registered two assists across 31 appearances for the club.
"We were all a little bit unaware of him when he came into the side," Williams told BBC Radio Newcastle. "But what a fantastic player he turned out to be.
"He was a great guy. He gelled with the squad really quickly. He wasn't at the club for long, but during the time he was there his character came out.
"He was quite flamboyant. He always had a smile on his face. He was always polite, apart from when he was on the pitch. He was a fantastic team-mate and player.
"He was also good for the younger lads, and I was one of them. If you had any concerns or issues, you could always sit down and just have a chat with him. That just shows what a character he was in our dressing room.
"I could always see him going into the managerial side of things. What Eric wanted to do, you knew Eric would do."
Listen to the full conversation above or listen on BBC Sounds
Image source, Getty ImagesSunderland focus on signing players with the right personality, says sporting director Florent Ghisolfi.
On the back of a successful first season back in the Premier League for the Black Cats, Ghisolfi believes it's important to protect the relationship between fans and players.
"I'm very proud to feel this connection [with supporters] because I think the crowd, the people, they give the energy in the club, in the team, in the squad and also the team is giving energy to the people, giving promise," Ghisolfi told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"So, I think this is the most important thing to protect for the future."
He added: "The most important thing [about the players], is the personality, the mentality, values. So we don't mind if he is from Belgium, France, Paraguay, or [if he is] Swiss, the most important thing is his personality. Is he a fit for the Sunderland squad today?"
The 41-year-old also gave praise to manager Regis le Bris when asked about the Frenchman's connection with the supporters.
"He deserves this recognition from the people here because I can tell you, he's working very hard," Ghisolfi said. "He's thinking always about the quality of the squad, the club, and this is what we want.
"Speaking about him, the staff, the whole organisation, our philosophy is the right person in the right place, but also the interest is always Sunderland first and if someone has his own interest first, he can he can leave because Sunderland is at the centre of the project."
Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds here
Image source, Getty ImagesSunderland sporting director Florent Ghisolfi says the summer transfer window will not be influenced by qualifying for the Europa League.
The Black Cats made 15 signings in a "strange summer" last year in order to facilitate their move back up to the Premier League, but Ghisolfi says this year is about focusing on "low volume and more precision".
"The most important [thing] will be to keep our foundations," Ghisolfi told BBC Radio Newcastle. "Our foundations are the mentality in the team, the cohesion we have in the team, the energy we have in the team and within our environment. So, the focus will be on that.
"Last summer was a strange summer. It was a rush. We needed to increase the quality in the team and the number of players.
"This summer we try to find the stability. Of course, we need to improve again in the quality, but I want to say low volume and more precision.
"I think the most important thing will be the quality and the mentality in the team because they will have to be ready to face these challenges. It's a challenge. I don't want to hear that it's difficult, it's tough. I don't want to feel fear. I want to feel that we take that as a challenge, as a challenge for the team to grow and for the club also to grow."
Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds here
The World Cup may be less than a week old but the 2026-27 Premier League fixtures will be released on Friday.
And to get in the mood as Sunderland prepare for another season in the top flight, we want your stories of opening-day games that have stuck in your minds most - both the good and the bad.
Get in touch with your memories here
And make sure to come back to this page on Friday to see how the Black Cats' league fixture list has fallen.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on who you would like Sunderland to keep, loan and sell from the squad this summer.
Here are some of your comments:
Dave: Keep - Luke O'Nien. Midway through the season Luke looked like the step up was a step too far. He was slightly off the pace and I was dreading the thought of his career ending on a sour note if he made consistent mistakes. He has gone on to play a pivotal role in the end of the season and has clearly worked hard to get up to the level in 2026. Going into Europe is a sentimental bonus for Luke but he has earned it, not because of loyalty. Loan - Mayenda. He's scored some important goals and will get chances, especially with the increased amount of games. I still believe he would benefit from a prolonged period of first team football where he can continue his development. Sell - Anthony Patterson. He is too good for third choice and needs to be playing regularly. A great servant to the club with the right attitude. Deserves more and should be a regular starter in a Championship side pushing for automatic promotion.
Jack: We should keep Isidor. Second top goal scorer has blinding pace and is a good finisher. Loan out Mayenda as he needs regular game time to improve and sell Diarra. We'll need to sell some players to get by the PSR and Diarra can demand a big fee.
Jurra: Put Patterson out on loan again because we won't get the asking price. As for one player on the fringes, we need a rotating squad for next season so I can't name only one we'll need a few. Considering he was our most expensive signing, Diarra has been a massive disappointment for me, no tears from me if he was sold on.
Di: Keep O'Nien. Great and loyal player. He may not be for Europe but every team needs a bit of glue and he's your man. Everybody's friend and ever positive.
James: Luke O'Nien should stay on. He's never going to be first choice in the Premier League, but he has continuously proved his doubters wrong that he can cope with new challenges. In his appearances last season, he didn't look out of place and it would be another incredible chapter on his journey from non-league if he could make some European appearances. Mayenda could do with regular football. He has a lot of potential but saw himself fall down the pecking order last season. Sunderland need to add another striker in the summer and that's going to make it even harder for Mayenda. A loan to a Championship club would be great, although it seems like a permanent move away from the club may be on the cards. Simon Adingra hasn't worked at Sunderland. There's undoubtedly ability there but he just doesn't fit into Le Bris' way of playing. Hopefully his loan spell at Monaco has convinced a club to take a chance on him and we can recoup most of the sizeable outlay we spent on him.
Sunderland have joined the race to sign highly rated Bosnia forward Kerim Alajbegovic, 18, from Red Bull Salzburg. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Change is inevitable at football clubs during the summer months and we want to ask you something specific about Sunderland's squad.
Tell us:
One player who should be kept who may be on the fringes and why?
One player who should be loaned out
One player who should be sold
We would love names and reasons for all three - get in touch with your views using this form.
Image source, Getty ImagesSunderland have announced their retained list for the 2026-27 Premier League season, with first team players Dan Neil, Dennis Cirkin, Bertrand Traore and Niall Huggins all being released.
The Black Cats "remain in discussions" with Lutsharel Geertruida, who has spent the 2025-26 season on loan at the Stadium of Light from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
After helping Sunderland gain promotion from League One, Neil captained the club back to the Premier League before joining Ipswich Town on loan in January. He departs after making over 200 appearances in red and white.
Left-back Dennis Cirkin exits after a five-year stint on Wearside, having also helped the club on their journey from the third tier to the top flight.
Traore, who made 12 Premier League appearances across 2025-26, and Huggins, who joined the Black Cats in League One in August 2021, have also seen their contracts expire.
