Patrick Roberts reveals how Sunderland will approach ‘tough’ Premier League return amid relegation predictions

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Sunderland will be looking to stave off instant relegation next season after earning Premier League promotion via the Championship play-off final.

Sunderland secured Premier League promotion at the expense of Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final in a dramatic comeback victory.

After Tyrese Campbell’s opener, Eliezer Mayenda’s emphatic strike equalised the tie as the Wembley clash headed towards extra-time, before Tommy Watson completed the perfect end to his Sunderland story and sent the 35,000 Black Cats fans into ecstasy.

The dramatic play-off final win spawned unforgettable scenes, and as the hangovers from promotion celebrations finally settle, attention turns to the mammoth task ahead for Sunderland next season.

Regis Le Bris masterminded the club’s revival from relegation candidates to play-off final winners after just nine months in charge, but has the hardest task of his Wearside stint ahead of him to stave off instant demotion to the Championship.

Play-off final hero Patrick Roberts has now revealed how Sunderland intend to approach life back in the big time of English football.

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Patrick Roberts reveals how Sunderland will approach Premier League return

Transfer dealings will be imperative for Sunderland this summer to equip Le Bris with quality reinforcements to battle against the wealth of Premier League talent they’re set to face.

Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has set the transfer budget for next season, and some of those funds will be allocated to the acquisition of Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee, who has become a permanent signing following the top flight promotion.

The Black Cats’ Championship squad should prove vastly different come August’s Premier League kick-off, if Sunderland’s keep-and-sell list is anything to go by, with Le Bris having a lot of work to do this summer.

EFL fans have predicted that Sunderland will struggle next season. However, right-winger Roberts does not agree, and has lifted the lid on how Le Bris’ side will approach the monumental task of top flight survival.

Via the Northern Echo, Roberts, who has been a member of the squad since their League One days, said: “Everyone knows it’s going to be tough, it’s a different beast these days.

“But we’re a big club and everyone can see that with the fans.

“We’ll have a right go. We wanted to get out of this Championship and we did that, so anything is possible.”

If Sunderland are to stave off demotion, the Black Cats must not repeat the club’s most recent season spent in the top flight of English football.

However, Le Bris has proven he has the capabilities as a head coach to keep the club up.

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Regis Le Bris has proven he can keep Sunderland in Premier League

Le Bris may have only spent just shy of 12 months in the Sunderland hotseat, but he has proven himself capable of keeping his side up next season.

Manager of the Season candidate Le Bris’ tactical knowledge was the catalyst for Sunderland’s successful promotion campaign.

In the Coventry City double header, he instructed his side to lull Frank Lampard’s into a false sense of security by retreating from possession, before punishing them on the break as seen in Milan Van Ewijk’s play-off mistake.

In the final, his decision to introduce Roberts and Brighton-bound Watson during the second half was inspired, with Roberts assisting Mayenda’s emphatic equaliser and Watson leaving Sunderland with a £220m parting gift.

Sunderland’s fee banked by Premier League promotion opens the possibility up for a higher calibre of signings, one of which could be “exceptional” £20m defender Wilfried Singo.

If the Black Cats hierarchy gets the summer transfer window right and backs Le Bris ahead of next season, the Frenchman’s qualities on the touchline give Sunderland fans hope that the club will refute the early instant relegation claims being levelled at the Wearside outfit.