Smells like team spirit to Régis Le Bris as Sunderland confound the doubters

The willingness of players to put the side’s best interests ahead of their own has fostered a sense of togetherness that has reaped rewards on the pitch When David Moyes resigned as Sunderland’s manager in May 2017, after a calamitous 10 months culminating in relegation to the Championship, he waived all entitlement to a payoff. Moyes knew he had failed but, in mitigation, he inherited a poisoned chalice, something arguably confirmed as the club swiftly plummeted into League One. Now Moyes is back in his Merseyside comfort zone and Sunderland have finally returned to the top tier. When he leads his Everton team into the Stadium of Light, the Scot may be startled to see players of the quality of Granit Xhaka, Enzo Le Fée, Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo wearing red and white stripes. That quartet arrived from Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid respectively. And to think Moyes regularly reiterated the belief that top footballers would not relocate to Wearside because they invariably wanted to live in the London or Manchester areas. Despite that, club sources indicate not one prospective signing queried its geography this summer. Much as the local council is attracting outside investment and IT professionals by rebranding Sunderland as a technology hub situated in “the city by the sea”, the football club is fast becoming a magnet for ambitious young players from across Europe. Continue reading...

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