RLB ON DRAW & STRIKERS

Following our final game of 2025, Regis Le Bris was asked about his plans for the January transfer window regarding the depth in Sunderland's front line.

NO RUSH

“I think at the minute there’s no need to rush anything, because even with the AFCON, we spoke a lot before this period about the availability of our players. At Brighton, we showed that the depth of the squad is really positive. So for the strikers and the wingers, the main question will be, do we need to strengthen or not the squad? We don’t have to rush anything, so let’s wait.”

POSSIBLE MAYENDA LOAN

“We’ll see. Eliezer started the season and then we had other opportunities with strong players. Wilson played well, Brian is doing well at the minute, so we only have one position, so we play with one striker. Now Eliezer has to wait a bit, but the situation can change really quickly and he’s well connected as well. He can play as a striker, he can play as a second striker, probably on the right he’s able to play as well because he has done this for his national team. So we’ll just wait and we’ll see probably at the end of January if we need to do something.”

OPPORTUNITY FOR FRINGE PLAYERS

“I am pleased with many things. We can speak about individuals – Simon, Dennis, who both started today. We have had many questions around the AFCON, plus we also had Dan and Luke missing today. So, there were eight players missing, but we still showed a good character. I think we played well for part of the game, against a strong side. They are in good form, with good players, so it was a good point."

ADINGRA'S FIRST GOAL

“I think his intentions have been very good. He thought that he did not start very well with us, but I think it was just a normal situation when you change your team-mates and change your club. He would have liked to have started better, but that wasn’t the case. He was a bit disappointed at that time. I think he felt the support of the club though – his team-mates, the coaching staff. We trust him. He is a really good winger, and after that, it was just a question of confidence. When you deliver the key pass or you score, it changes everything. You play with more freedom. When you start to do other things, because it is not going so well, it is harder to play with the right balance."

CIRKIN PREM DEBUT

“I’m really pleased for him. I am happy he got this chance because he is a good guy, a good person. He struggled a bit during this first part of the season. I think he had the support of the club, but he said in the last two or three weeks that he was really able to start again. The opportunity came, and he did well."

BALLARD INJURY LATEST

“We'll see on Monday. We'll have another scan. It doesn't seem too serious, but it's important to explore further and to find the best solution for his recovery.”