Sunderland have only won two of their last eight matches in the Premier League after they were beaten 1-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Black Cats supporters may already be starting to worry about a classic case of second season syndrome in the 2026/27 campaign, due to the recent drop-off in form.
Ten teams have been relegated from the Premier League after surviving their first year in the division, and Sunderland will hope to avoid making it 11 next term.
Regis Le Bris’ side have already hit the magic 40-point marker and are 12 points clear of the bottom three with eight games left to play, which should see them safe for this season.
Sunderland could need to dip into the transfer market in the summer to ensure that they have enough quality to get back to their best and avoid a dismal 2026/27 campaign.
What Sunderland need to priortise in the summer window
When the summer transfer window opens for business, the Black Cats need to sign players who can offer a consistent goal threat across an entire season, in a host of different positions.
After 30 Premier League games, no Sunderland player has scored more than five goals in the Premier League, and only four players have scored more than two goals in the division.
The club splashed out a club-record fee of £27m to sign central midfielder Habib Diarra after he scored eight goals in two Ligue 1 seasons with Strasbourg.
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Yet, the Senegal international has only scored two goals in the Premier League for Sunderland this season and has failed to offer a regular threat at the top end of the pitch, with zero assists in all competitions.
Sunderland, therefore, need to sign players who can offer more quality in front of goal to ensure that they do not go through patches where they struggle to score goals because of the lack of goalscorers in their squad.
Diarra has not been a total flop at the Stadium of Light, though, as he has started 11 of his 13 appearances in the league and won 50% of his aerial duels, adding some physicality in the middle of the park.
Sunderland forward is fast becoming their biggest flop
Whilst the club and Le Bris may want to see more from Diarra, due to the club-record fee paid out for him, the Senegalese star has not been the biggest flop this season.
Sunderland paid £18m to sign Chemsdine Talbi from Club Brugge last summer to bolster the manager’s options at the top end of the pitch, but he has lacked consistency in his game throughout the campaign.
The Moroccan forward scored seven goals and provided five assists for the Belgian club in the 2024/25 campaign, and he looks unlikely to match or better that tally in his first year at the Stadium of Light.
Talbi, unlike Diarra, has not been an almost guaranteed starter when available this season in the Premier League. The winger has only started 13 of his 22 appearances in the top-flight, dipping in and out of the side.
He has produced rare moments of quality, including a wonder strike against Burnley last month, with three goals and one assist in 22 league outings.
The 20-year-old attacker’s all-round play has left too much to be desired in the Premier League this season, as he has not created a single ‘big chance’ for his teammates since his £18m move to the club.
|
25/26 PL |
Talbi |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.5 |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
0.7 |
Averaging a chance created once every other game as a wide player who should be in the team to create for others is incredibly underwhelming, particularly when coupled with his sporadic goals and very few completed dribbles.
Whilst Talbi is only 20 and has time to develop and improve, Sunderland paid £18m to sign the forward to bolster their attack, and he has underdelivered so far.
He is looking like an even bigger flop than Diarra, who has offered more to the side in his general play and started a higher percentage of his appearances, and that is a concern ahead of next season.
Hopefully, Talbi can add more consistency to his game as he gains more experience in the Premier League, but he is looking like the club’s biggest flop, considering the fee paid and his output, this season.
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