Nine games in to the new Premier League season, and if anyone can honestly say they are not surprised by the make up of the top four I’d like to meet them.
Arsenal is at the summit, no surprise there, and Tottenham are in third place, which is to be expected with the talent in their squad and new manager Thomas Frank. But with Bournemouth second and Sunderland fourth, now that is something we didn’t expect here at SBOTOP.
In fairness, the Cherries are an established Premier League side, having spent eight of the last 10 seasons in the top-flight. But this is Sunderland’s return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence, and the elite teams of football have moved on a long way since then.
The Black Cats were the surprise package of the 2024/25 Championship season, making a fast start and holding on to finish fourth, 24 points behind Leeds United and Burnley, who both finished on 100, and 14 behind Sheffield United, the club they stunned in the play-off final. And following automatic relegation for the three promoted teams last season, the Premier League 2025 betting odds predicted a long, hard campaign for this year’s new boys.
But the form of the three promoted teams will have the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, and Nottingham Forest very worried indeed. Leeds and Burnley have, at this early stage, a nice five-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three, while Sunderland have stormed out of the blocks and are up amongst the giants of the Premier League.
Regis Le Bris’ side could hardly have had a better draw for their opener, hosting West Ham United, who flirted with relegation at times last season, and are serious candidates this time around. And the Stadium of Light erupted as Sunderland started with an emphatic 3-0 win.
The fixture list has been kind to the Black Cats. They have picked up wins against Wolves and Nottingham Forest to make it a full set of victories against the current bottom three, as well as a 2-1 win over Brentford, another team that has its priority as survival. Sunderland rode their luck against the Bees, scoring a 96th-minute winner after Brentford had missed a penalty, and they executed a ‘smash and grab’ in a 1-0 win away to Forest.
The two blots on Sunderland’s superb start came against Manchester United and Burnley, who both beat the Black Cats 2-0, though they did pick up impressive draws against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea was the Black Cats’ best triumph so far as Chemsdine Talbi snatched an 83rd-minute winner, and certainly one of the biggest Premier League 2025 results of the campaign. And it followed on from a 2-0 win over bottom club Wolves. So, while Sunderland are yet to face some of the best clubs, as the saying goes: “You can only beat what’s in front of you.”
The Xhaka effect
There is no denying that Sunderland spent heavily in the summer, comfortably over £150 million to try to put together a squad capable of competing. The spending strategy is no guarantee of success, as previously promoted teams have discovered. The key is for the head coach to gel the team into a resilient unit and to bring in Premier League ready stars.
And the Black Cats pulled off a masterstroke with the signing of Swiss enforcer Granit Xhaka. The former Arsenal captain, who won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, has 141 caps for a constantly high quality Switzerland, scoring 15 goals. And at a cost of £13 million, the 33-year-old will prove to be exceptional value if he can help to keep the Black Cats at the top table.
Xhaka can control the pace of play and help the inexperienced players around him to find their feet. He constantly shows for the ball and any player can find him when they are in a tight spot. His tackling skills and distribution make him the perfect midfield general and Le Bris had no hesitation in giving him the captain’s armband. And while one of his prime responsibilities is to break up play, Xhaka is also a key part of Sunderland’s creative unit, as he has a thunderbolt of a shot and has already made three assists this season.
A leader in the dressing room and on the pitch, Xhaka can lead the Black Cats to success this season. With a great set of results already in the bag, the Sunderland fans are on cloud nine. The Black Cats need to stay resilient and ride their luck, but they have given themselves a superb chance.
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