‘Sunderland set for £200m transfer splurge on one key condition’
Sunderland could be set to spend up to £200million in the transfer market this summer but have been warned it would come with a cost.
The Black Cats were dramatically promoted to the Premier league at Wembley after Tom Watson scored a late winner in the Championship play-off final to deny Sheffield Untied an immediate return to the top flight.
It means the North East club will play in the Premier League for the first time since 2016/17, following a turbulent period since relegation which saw them drop down to League One.
Sunderland will face West Ham at the Stadium of Light on the opening day of the season after the Premier League fixtures were released.
There promotion also means the return of the highly anticipated Tyne-Wear derby against rivals Newcastle United.
Expert sets out conditions for spending spree
Manager Regis Le Bris could have up to £200m to spend this summer on players, but finance expert Kieran Maguire has warned the club that just because they could splash the cash, it doesn’t mean they should.
Speaking to talkSPORT (18 June) Maguire warned against the promoted clubs spending big in the transfer market.
Maguire said: “The sides promoted are having to spend with one hand tied behind their back because the established Premier League teams can lose £105million, but Sunderland can only lose £61m.
“Sunderland can spend a lot of money, they could drop £200m but that is assuming they have that in their bank account to spend.”
Maguire went on to explain the implications for clubs like Sunderland should they choose to spend big.
“For PSR reasons they can spend, it is like having a credit card limit, but it doesn’t mean spending to your limits is a good thing,” Maguire added.
“If you have just been promoted from the Championship you get £35m allowable loss for your first season in the Premier League, but each season you have been in the Championship you can only lose 13m.
“If you look at Sunderland they have been promoted from League One through to the Championship, now they are in the Premier League means they’ve got a £61m [allowable loss].”
Will Sunderland choose ambition or caution in the market?
Football Insider verdict
The financial implications of securing promotion to the Premier League are huge, with Sunderland estimated to have earned an extra £200m in income from winning the promotion final (BBC Sport).
The finances at the club have also been strengthened by the sale of Jobe Bellingham to German giants Borussia Dortmund and play-off hero Watson to Premier League rivals Brighton.
| Player | Bellingham | Watson |
| Appearances | 90 | 24 |
| Goals | 11 | 3 |
| Assists | 4 | 0 |
It is now a question of how the club wish to spend the money they have got in the bank.
There is speculation that Jordan Henderson could return to the club after leaving the Premier League in 2023, or that they could make an ambitious move for winger Raheem Sterling at Chelsea.
Enzo Le Fee has already returned to the club after a loan spell last season in a deal worth around £20m, whilst defender Chris Mepham could also be on his way back to the Stadium of Light following his loan period.