Sunderland have taken the Premier League by storm this season already and their early form suggests their stay in the top flight will be far from temporary.

Nobody expected Sunderland to be in the promotion conversation last season, but Regis Le Bris made the Black Cats tough to beat while having plenty of attacking threats. They stunned Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final to make it back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.

Not content with simply making up the numbers, the Sunderland hierarchy sanctioned mass spending this summer. 15 new faces came through the door, at a total cost of over £163m.

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That looks like money well spent at the moment, with the Black Cats flying in seventh place after four wins from their first eight games. Pundits like Gary Neville praised Sunderland’s brilliant performances, and it now looks like they have a real shot of staying up this season.

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It’s not just the fact that Sunderland have recruited a lot of new players who all look good on paper. They’ve signed a great mix of experience and young talent,...