Sunderland Echo

How do Sunderland's crowds compare to their Premier League rivals this season?

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Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light following the international break, fresh from their stunning 2-1 victory away at Newcastle United.

The Black Cats have completed the league double over their fiercest rivals, which was just the latest step in what has been a fantastic return to life back in the top flight. The fact that Sunderland have hit 43 points with seven games to spare and are looking to secure an unexpected European berth, rather than battling relegation, is testament to the brilliant work done by Regis Le Bris and his players.

That has been reflected on the terraces, too, with Sunderland’s average attendance of 46,323 their highest since the 2001/02 campaign and the fourth-highest on record. But how does that compare to their Premier League rivals?

Sunderland average attendance compared to Premier League rivals

Sunderland’s average home attendance this season is ninth in the Premier League, seeing them above the likes of Aston Villa, Chelsea and Leeds United due to the superior capacity of the Stadium of Light.

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Unfortunately, the ground is a little smaller than the likes of Newcastle United’s St. James Park and Everton’s brand new Hill Dickinson Stadium, meaning there are plenty of healthier average attendances throughout the English top flight. Nevertheless, Sunderland are drawing one of the best gates in the country and around Europe’s top five leagues, and the atmosphere generated by the supporters has undoubtedly helped the Black Cats at home - where they’ve lost just three of 15 matches in the Premier League this season.

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As usual, Manchester United top the attendance charts, with Old Trafford boasting an average crowd of 73,962 - more than 11,000 ahead of second-place West Ham, who pull 62,454 fans at their unpopular but vast London Stadium.

Alongside West Ham, relegation rivals Tottenham are still averaging 60,939, which is incredibly commendable given they’ve won just two home matches all season in the Premier League. The Lilywhites will visit the Stadium of Light on Sunday, 12th April, as they seek a vital result in their desperate bid for survival.

How does Sunderland's lavish 2025/26 spending compare to their Premier League rivals?

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The 2025/26 Premier League season has entered its final sprint, and for Sunderland, it will be all about trying to finish as high up in the table as possible.

The Black Cats’ memorable 2-1 comeback win away at Tyne-Wear rivals Newcastle United just before the international break left them 11th in the table, a point above the Magpies, and just three points adrift of seventh-place Brentford.

Regis Le Bris’ men still have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe, while relegation worries were banished long ago, underlining just how strong of a return to the top-flight it’s been. This strong form has undoubtedly been fuelled by heavy spending over the last two transfer windows, with Sunderland signing the likes of Habib Diarra, Brian Brobbey and Chemsdine Talbi for big fees - to name but a few.

But where does that transfer activity leave them compared to the rest of the Premier League when it comes to net spend?

Sunderland net spend compared to Premier League rivals

Incredibly, only five clubs have a higher net spend than Sunderland over the course of this Premier League season: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham and Man Utd.

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Tottenham’s level of spending is particularly shocking given they sit 17th and just a point above the relegation zone, 13 points adrift of Sunderland - who they travel to next Sunday. There are no surprises among the rest of the top five, however, given that they occupy the top three spots in the Premier League, with Liverpool also fifth.

Chelsea are the biggest surprise at the other end of the spending table, with their €4.90m net spend the lowest negative amount in the Premier League. The big-money sales of Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Lesley Ugochukwu (among others) undoubtedly had an influence here.

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Brentford, Brighton, Wolves and Bournemouth are the only sides to have made a profit this season, each selling multiple key players across the course of the last two windows. Sunderland’s net spend could have been even higher, were it not for their sales of Jobe Bellingham and Tom Watson for a combined €42.5m, according to Transfermarkt.

We've highlighted the key dangers and weaknesses for Tottenham Hotspur as they travel to Sunderland next weekend.

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The Premier League returns from the international break next weekend, with Sunderland hosting struggling Tottenham Hotspur a week on Sunday.

Regis Le Bris’ men will be eager to get back in action after a memorable 2-1 comeback win over arch-rivals Newcastle United last time out - a result that leaves them 11th in the table and just five points off the top six. Up next is a Spurs side struggling desperately in 17th place, just a point above the relegation battle. Roberto De Zerbi is the new Lilywhites boss and will take charge for the first time at the Stadium of Light.

So, ahead of the league clash let’s take a look at the key Spurs dangermen that Sunderland need to watch, and the key North London weaknesses that could be exploited on Wearside.

Tottenham Hotspur dangerman: Richarlison

Spurs have been wretched defensively this season, which we’ll get to in a moment. However, there is hope for them in that they’ve outscored everyone around them, notching the highest number of goals (40) of any side in the bottom seven right now - and eight more than Sunderland (32).

While the goals have been spread about, Richarlison has been their clear main threat. The Brazilian has nine Premier League goals to his name so far this campaign, leaving him at least five clear of any other Spurs player, while his record extends to 10 across all competitions thanks to a Champions League strike against PSG.

Richarlison can be tough to watch sometimes, but you will never get less than 100% from him. The former Everton man will continue to get under the skin of centre-backs and make intelligent runs to pull the opposition out of shape, while four of his nine Premier League goals this term have come in the final 30 minutes of matches, underlining the fact he never quite knows when he or Spurs are done.

Sunderland are sixth in the Premier League when it comes to overall cards this season, but they must keep their discipline against Richarlison, who has the footballing and mental skillset to create a far more even playing field for Spurs.

Mohammed Kudus will also be one to watch as next weekend approaches. The Ghanaian is due back from injury soon and could make the squad at the Stadium of Light, and he has three assists for Richarlison so far this season - making them the second-most effective duo in the Premier League in this regard, only behind Casemiro to Bruno Fernandes (WhoScored).

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Tottenham Hotspur most likely route to goal: Set pieces

Richarlison’s doggedness aside, set-pieces have been Tottenham Hotspur’s best route to goal this season. The Lilywhites are third only to Arsenal (19) and Manchester United (15) for set-piece goals this season (14), sitting ninth for open-play goals (23) by comparison.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven joint-second on their goal charts with four each. The latter has been especially effective from free-kicks and corners, with all four of his goals so far in 2025/26 coming via these routes, while Archie Gray and Richarlison have two each.

Sunderland are 11th in the Premier League for set-piece goals conceded on 10. However, that accounts for 27.78% of their total goals conceded, showing a soft underbelly in this department for Le Bris’ side.

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Tottenham Hotspur key weakness: Mistakes

No side has made more errors leading to shots than Tottenham in the Premier League this season (27). What’s more, Spurs have two players among the division’s only nine to make more than three errors leading to shots, with Djed Spence on four and Pedro Porro on five. Meanwhile, the North Londoners are second for both yellow cards (75) and red cards (4), with Romero the biggest culprit here on eight yellows (3rd-most) and two reds - making him the only player so far to be sent off more than once.

In short, from fundamental possession errors around their own box to losses of discipline when the game gets tough, Spurs have been guilty of making huge mistakes at key moments in matches. These rash streaks and losses of concentration have cost them dearly time and again this season, and are a key reason why they’re languishing in the relegation battle.

In the likes of Granit Xhaka and Brian Brobbey, Sunderland have the perfect weapons to exploit this particular weakness, perhaps drawing a red card out of Spurs - just as Richarlison will try to do for the visitors - and giving them an uphill battle.

And while Sunderland’s excellent season so far has been built on a solid defensive unit, Le Bris may see an opportunity here to send mobile forwards like Chemsdine Talbi and Enzo Le Fee hunting for possession high up the pitch - the latter winning possession in the final third a team-high 14 times this season.

Sunderland face Tottenham Hotspur at the Stadium of Light on April 12th.

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If ever a team has needed a new manager bounce, it’s this current iteration of Tottenham Hotspur.

The North London outfit find themselves in the kind of genuine peril that few would have assumed possible at the start of the season, and after Igor Tudor’s catastrophic 44-day tenure was brought to a premature and merciful conclusion over the weekend, they now find themselves just one point clear of the relegation zone.

Teetering precariously on the brink of the void, Spurs have moved swiftly to replace Tudor, and it was confirmed on Monday that their next unfortunate victim - sorry, head coach appointment - is ex-Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian’s first game in a seven-fixture run to stave off disaster comes against Sunderland a week on Sunday.

Now, evidently, as far as Tottenham were concerned, something had to change. Tudor wasn’t so much sleepwalking into calamity as he was sprinting headfirst towards it with a lit stick of dynamite in each hand. But the question now is whether De Zerbi is really the right man to salvage his new club’s Premier League status. Is he a firefighter, or have Spurs unwittingly hired another pyromaniac?

Well, if past comments from Lewis Dunk, who played under the 46-year-old at Brighton, are anything to go by, things could yet get worse before they get better. Reflecting on De Zerbi’s arrival on the south coast during an interview in 2023, the towering centre-back said: “If I am being honest, the first couple of weeks were horrendous…

“I wouldn’t say horrendous, they were baffling. The first meeting when he went in, I was so confused – who to look at, what to listen to, and you slowly pick up. Basically don’t listen to the manager, wait for the translator to speak and you get there in the end.

“Training changed dramatically. We worked on a lot of different stuff and the first couple of weeks were a really hard transition. We were fourth in the league when Graham [Potter] left and we were flying with him and it was a strange time for him to go and then Roberto came in and it was a carnage two weeks.”

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Granted, this time around De Zerbi should have no such translation issues, but Dunk’s comments on his wholesale changes and the disruptive effects they had don’t exactly bode well for a Tottenham side who need instant results. There is no safety net here, no preseason to acclimatise. This is high wire stuff and the consequences of a misstep could be dire.

From a Sunderland perspective, however, any lingering disarray would be very welcome indeed. The Black Cats must have been licking their proverbial lips at the prospect of playing a Tudor side with five defeats in seven to their name, but perhaps the only thing more enticing is facing a team who are still recovering from the Croatian’s brief regime, helmed by a head coach who supposedly deals in his own signature brand of chaos.

The latest Sunderland AFC news, via PA.

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New Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has already been dealt an injury blow after midfielder Pape Sarr was unable to feature for Senegal in their friendly with Gambia.

De Zerbi was confirmed as Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, which does not contain a relegation release clause, the Press Association understands, despite the north London club being only one point above the Premier League bottom three. They travel to Sunderland after the latest break in Premier League fixtures.

With seven games left this season, De Zerbi has limited time to work with a team without a league win in 2026, but has immediately been affected by an ongoing injury crisis in N17.

Senegal midfielder Sarr joined up with his national team last week and featured in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru, but was left out of the squad to face Gambia on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury, according to Senegalese media.

Any potential injury to Sarr would be untimely for De Zerbi, who has already discovered a lengthy list of absentees at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training ground, with Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus all previously sidelined or currently unavailable.

It adds to an already-complicated start to life at Spurs after De Zerbi’s appointment faced opposition from sections of the fanbase.

Three supporters’ groups produced ‘No to De Zerbi’ statements last Friday, owing to past comments about Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.

Former Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a woman after images and videos were posted online.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood, who denied the charges, has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.

In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy”, who had paid a “heavy price” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust explained on Tuesday they had “serious and far-reaching concerns” with this appointment. PA understands Spurs carefully considered and discussed the comments and sentiments around Greenwood with De Zerbi during negotiations.

Later on Tuesday, Spurs’ LGBTQI+ fan group Proud Lilywhites said: “Whilst we disagree with the managerial choice, in terms of culture and competence, we will continue to support the players without pretending to be comfortable with the appointment.

“Staying silent is not the answer. But choosing when and where to be vocal matters. “Managers come and go. Executives come and go. Players come and go. Fans remain. We are the constant in this club.

“We will continue to represent the views of our members to the club, alongside the other supporter associations. “This is not noise or reaction. It is a considered position and it is not going away.”

Spurs Reach added: “As a group of fans who care about inclusion, representation and how people are treated, this one doesn’t fully sit right with us, both culturally and in the bigger picture. “That said, we’re Spurs through and through… our support for the club we love, the community and each other goes way beyond any one appointment.”

Spurs could have a new manager by the time they face Sunderland in April, write PA.

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Roberto De Zerbi is set to take on the sizeable task of keeping Tottenham in the Premier League after talks between the parties reached an advanced stage, the Press Association understands.

Spurs - who face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light when the Premier League returns next month - turned attention back to De Zerbi after Igor Tudor’s departure on Sunday and, although PA understands the former Brighton boss initially preferred to wait until the summer to assess his options, he looks set to perform a U-turn and take over immediately.

Reports in De Zerbi’s homeland of Italy on Monday morning stated he was now willing to listen to Tottenham’s advances and had a five-year contract offer on the table, which would make the 46-year-old the club’s fourth head coach in the last 10 months.

De Zerbi has been linked with the Spurs vacancy for a number of years, firstly in 2023 and more recently over the last month after Thomas Frank left on February 11, but a break until the end of the season had been expected after he left Marseille in the same week.

Tottenham therefore turned to Tudor as interim head coach, but his shambolic 44-day reign produced five defeats in seven matches alongside a catalogue of questionable tactical choices and only increased the realistic threat of a first relegation since 1977.

It forced Spurs into one final roll of the dice and, with fans’ favourite Mauricio Pochettino contracted to lead the United States at this summer’s World Cup, De Zerbi has profited from being the best and most viable candidate currently on the market.

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Pochettino was asked on Monday if he had received any contact from Tottenham or Real Madrid, and told a press conference: “We have our full focus here on the World Cup.

“I think everyone knows that I am committed with the national team. I think there’s no a point to talk about the future. At the moment no (team) has approached.”

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First-team coach Bruno Saltor was tasked with taking training for the players not on international duty after Spurs moved on from Tudor on Sunday. However, PA understands Tottenham expected a new head coach would be hired by the middle of this week to give them 10 days to prepare for the April 12 trip to Sunderland – and that is set to be De Zerbi.

Sunderland will return to Premier League action when they host Spurs on the other side of the international break.

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Igor Tudor is reportedly set to leave his role as interim manager of Tottenham Hotspur - and a former Newcastle United boss could be in charge by the time the Premier League strugglers visit Sunderland next month.

The former Juventus and Croatia defender took charge of the North London club following Thomas Frank’s departure last month - but has struggled to make a positive impact as Spurs continue to look nervously over their shoulder at the Premier League relegation zone. Since marking his managerial bow with a 4-1 home defeat against arch rivals Arsenal, Tudor is yet to win any of his five Premier League fixtures in charge and has collected just a solitary point as his side battled to a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.

A single win came with a 3-2 home victory against La Liga club Atletico Madrid in the second leg of a Champions League round of 16 tie - but that was not enough to take Spurs into the quarter final after Tudor’s side suffered a 5-2 defeat in the first leg in the Spanish capital. Any positivity caused by last week’s win against Diego Simeone’s men quickly evaporated as Spurs marked their return to Premier League action with a dismal display in a 3-0 home defeat against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest that has left Spurs just one point and one place above the relegation zone.

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TeamTalk have now reported Tudor is expected to leave Spurs ‘by mutual consent’ after what they describe as ‘weeks of internal discussions’. The report also reveals there was an internal agreement that a change would be made if Spurs suffered a defeat in Sunday’s home game with Forest. Crucially, the report also states Tudor is ready to step away from the role following the sad passing of his father Mario.

Viable options

Spurs have been working to find a replacement and a shortlist has been drawn up that includes former Monaco manager Adi Hutter and former Newcastle United boss Chris Hughton. Both potential candidates are said to be ‘viable options’ to step in and that could mean the latter making an emotional return to a club he represented over 300 times during his playing career before spending 14 years as a reserve team manager, first team coach, caretaker manager and assistant manager.

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Hughton departed from Spurs in February 2008 when he was appointed as first team coach at Newcastle and he was handed a permanent role as Magpies boss just over a year later after spell as interim manager. Hughton remains the last manager to lead Newcastle to a home win in a Tyne-Wear derby meeting against Sunderland and that victory came back in October 2010.

Should Spurs go through with a change, the new interim manager’s first game in charge will come at Sunderland on Sunday, April 12 as the Black Cats look to increase their visitors relegation concerns and boost their own hopes of securing a place in European competition.

Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs is reportedly a target for Tottenham Hotspur.

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Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs is one of three Premier League stoppers on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar as they prepare themselves to replace current number one Guglielmo Vicario, according to reports.

The Dutchman has emerged as a standout performer for the Black Cats this season, having arrived on a permanent deal from NEC Nijmegen last summer. At the time of writing, he has kept eight top flight clean sheets, as well as recording the third-highest number of saves in the division since this arrival at the Stadium of Light.

And as per online outlet TEAMtalk, Roefs’ performances have piqued the interest of Spurs, who could be in the market for reinforcements between the sticks this summer. It is understood that current first choice Vicario is Juventus’ primary goalkeeping target heading into the end of the campaign, and as such, the North London outfit have identified Roefs, alongside Brighton and Hove Albion compatriot Bart Verbruggen and Manchester City understudy James Trafford, as potential alternatives.

With regards to Vicario’s possible exit, the Italian is reportedly valued at around £26 million - a figure which would fall within Juve’s budget. As for their subsequent recruitment plans, TEAMtalk stress that “there is no clear favourite in Spurs’ mind at present”, and that the situation is “open”.

Much will hinge, however, on whether or not Tottenham are able to avoid relegation this season. As things stand, the Champions League club are just four points clear of the bottom three with 11 matches left to play. Should the unthinkable happen and Spurs drop down to the Championship, then it goes without saying that they would fall out of any looming race for Roefs, or the other names mentioned.

Tottenham are not the only side to be touted as admirers of the Sunderland number one in recent days either. Over the weekend, it was reported that Chelsea are keen on the 23-year-old, with a £50 million effort to sign him mooted.

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What has Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs said about mounting transfer speculation?

Speaking in the aftermath of Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham, Roefs was asked for his thoughts on the speculation over his future on Wearside, to which he responded: “I don't know. I don't know what to make of it. I don't hear anything from it from my agents. As long as I don't know anything about it, they can read or write what they want. I don't know.

“Obviously, it's a compliment, I think, if people write it about you. I'm really not into this. It's my first season in the Premier League, my first season here. I'm really enjoying every single minute of it, so I'm not thinking of anything else.”

West Ham face a defensive headache after a £17m centre-back suffered a serious injury in the FA Cup

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West Ham United could be forced to cope without Konstantinos Mavropanos for their upcoming Premier League fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland after the defender suffered a worrying injury in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Head coach Nuno Espírito Santo was dealt a setback during West Ham’s tie with Queens Park Rangers, when one of his preferred centre-backs was forced off midway through the first half. Mavropanos, who has worked his way into the starting line-up in recent weeks, was stretchered off following a heavy collision inside the QPR penalty area.

The 28-year-old had started West Ham’s recent league matches against Wolves and Nottingham Forest and was again selected from the outset at Loftus Road, with Nuno opting for a back three alongside Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo. However, shortly before half-time, Mavropanos went up to challenge for a corner and appeared to clash heads with a QPR defender’s knee.

Play was halted for several minutes as medical staff attended to the Greece international, before he was eventually taken from the pitch on a stretcher and driven off in a medical buggy. Supporters from both sides applauded as he left the field, with the incident immediately raising concerns over a potential head injury. While the full extent of the problem is still to be confirmed, concussion protocols mean Mavropanos is likely to face a mandatory period on the sidelines. That would rule him out of West Ham’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur next weekend, and also place his availability in doubt for Sunderland’s visit to the London Stadium on January 24.

Any absence would come as a blow for Nuno, who has frequently relied on a three-centre-back system since taking charge. West Ham have already struggled defensively this season, conceding 43 goals in the Premier League, and losing a regular starter would further complicate matters. It is not the first time Mavropanos has been sidelined this campaign. He previously missed league fixtures against Leeds United, Newcastle United, Burnley and AFC Bournemouth during October and November. West Ham signed the defender from VfB Stuttgart in 2023 for a reported £17million, and he has since gone on to make 83 appearances for the club.

What did Le Bris say after the Everton game?

Régis Le Bris has sought to ease fears surrounding Brian Brobbey’s fitness while confirming that Bertrand Traoré is a concern ahead of Crystal Palace’s trip to the Stadium of Light next weekend.

Brobbey was introduced for Eliezer Mayenda during the second half of Sunderland’s FA Cup third-round tie at Hill Dickinson Stadium, before being withdrawn at the interval of extra time as the Black Cats went on to beat Everton on penalties. Speaking after the game, Le Bris stressed that the decision to remove the striker was purely precautionary.

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Sunderland were able to call on Noah Sadiki for the full 120 minutes following his recent return from the Africa Cup of Nations, but Reinildo Mandava and Traoré were both absent from the squad. While Reinildo is expected to return to contention for next Saturday, Traoré has emerged as an early doubt, with the extent of his issue still unclear.

“We are not too worried about Brian because it was tightness in his hamstrings,” Le Bris said. “We have had this previously with him, so we didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. With Reinildo and Bertrand, we will see. Rei might be available next week, but Bertrand has come back with an injury that we will have to assess. It is an injury issue he has come back with, but we don’t really know any more than that yet.”

Sunderland will also be without Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi for the visit of Crystal Palace, after both Senegal and Morocco reached the AFCON semi-finals. The pair are set to feature either in the third-place play-off next Saturday or the final next Sunday, depending on results in the last four.

Sunderland supporters once again turned an away day into something memorable as the Black Cats took on Tottenham Hotspur in north London.

From early arrivals around the stadium to the final moments after the whistle, the away end was packed with colour, noise and belief. Despite a difficult opening period on the pitch, the backing never wavered, with travelling fans responding to every tackle, block and break forward as Sunderland grew into the game. When the equaliser arrived late on, the reaction was instant – limbs everywhere, flags raised and voices lifted in unison.

There was also a real sense of connection at full-time. Players made their way over to acknowledge the supporters who had made the journey, soaking in the applause after another gritty Premier League display on the road. It was a reminder of how closely this group and its fanbase have travelled together over the past two seasons.

These photos capture the moments you might have missed – the anticipation, the tension, the celebrations and the pride – as Sunderland fans once again made their presence felt at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Courtesy of Chris Fryatt.