Régis Le Bris is adamant that Sunderland are pushing for new signings before the January window shuts. However, the head coach is sticking to his guns on quality over quantity. The Black Cats are currently staring down a brutal schedule. The deadline hits at 7 pm this Monday, barely an hour before they kick off against Burnley at the Stadium of Light.
Le Bris Maintains Hope for Late Arrivals as Deadline Looms
Le Bris confirmed on Friday that his recruitment team is still grinding away behind the scenes. The club are keeping things quiet for now. The French manager isn’t sweating the final few days, though. He made it clear that they won’t be drawn into desperate panic buys.
So far, the Wearsiders have only brought in one new face: 20-year-old winger Jocelin Ta Bi, who arrived from Maccabi Netanya earlier this month. Most of the action has actually involved players leaving. Long-time servant Dan Neil recently headed to Ipswich Town on loan because he wasn’t getting enough game time.
Experienced left-back Arthur Masuaku also went back to France, joining RC Lens on a short-term deal. Le Bris knows the squad is a bit thin in places, but he is still happy with the players he has. He expects the final hours of the market to be a mess, as usual. Sunderland will only pull the trigger if a deal actually makes the team better.
“For us as a club and a team, we don’t have to rush anything. We’re happy with our squad. If we can reinforce our team, we’ll try. There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes, and it’s better for us stay under the radar.”
“We’ll see what happens. It’s still possible. The market is the market and it’s unpredictable. And I repeat, the end of the market is often more active. I’m always optimistic, we’ll see if I’m naïve!” said Le Bris as quoted by Sunderland Echo.
Stability First as Sunderland Settle into the Premier League
Sunderland find themselves in a solid spot as the 2025/26 season enters the home stretch. The team is sitting comfortably in the middle of the pack. They have handled the jump back to the top flight impressively well.
Much of that success comes down to Granit Xhaka’s leadership and the strict tactics Le Bris brought to the table. Letting Dan Neil go was a tough call. He was a huge part of the club’s recent climb, but it shows how much the standard has shifted. Management clearly trusts the current group. Still, the squad is small. A couple of bad injuries in the final months could really hurt them.
No one should expect any massive superstar signings in these final days. The club are looking for smart depth instead. Rumours about Wilson Isidor moving to Turkey aren’t going away. Sunderland need to keep him unless they have a replacement ready to go.
They definitely need another body up front to take the weight off the starters, especially with the Premier League’s intensity. Le Bris probably wants a high-energy midfielder to fill the gap Neil left. For now, expect a quiet end to the month unless something crazy happens in the market. The club are playing the long game, and so far, that strategy is paying off.
