Re-establishing themselves in the top tier will be tough but the Wearsiders are throwing everything at the challenge
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 19th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 4th in the Championship
Spending heavily is no guarantee of Premier League survival – just ask Ipswich – but promoted Sunderland appear to have invested pretty shrewdly – spending about £132m on their 11 signings to date.
The all-important central midfield department contains real ability in the shape of the gifted Enzo Le Fée, whose loan from Roma has turned into a formal transfer, the Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen old boy Granit Xhaka and the highly rated £30m Senegal and former Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra. The experienced left-back Reinildo played Champions League football for Atlético Madrid last season and the Chelsea loanee striker Marc Guiu comes highly recommended.
