After Scott Parker’s side demolished the Championship with just two losses and 16 goals conceded, they were defeated by Tottenham Hotspur in their top flight curtain raiser.

Sunderland stood firm against established Premier League opposition West Ham United thanks to three aesthetic second half goals causing the Stadium of Light to erupt.

Ahead of their trip to fellow newcomers Burnley, Regis Le Bris touched on connection between players materialising on the opening day, leaving no stone unturned in the transfer market, and how The Black Cats can overcome The Clarets.

• How seamless synergy between players has been achieved

Sunderland have spent more on transfers than any other promoted side since the Premier League‘s inception. A statement of intent and ambition, but also a necessary acknowledgement of the requirements to stay afloat in this merciless league.

Le Bris revealed how his squad have built connections and forged relationships quickly so they could hit the ground running in such impressive fashion.

He said, “From the beginning I think the connection with the squad went well from a human perspective and from a football perspective as well. We felt early in pre-season games that this connection was positive, even if sometimes the team was a bit unbalanced.”

At the core of their opening day winning side was a newly-formed midfield trio consisting of Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra.

All three were in the top five players in the league for most distanced covered on the opening matchday, and Le Bris commended their work-rate as well as intelligence when covering ground.

He commented on Sunderland’s recruitment approach for this area and how Xhaka compliments the two younger midfielders ahead of him.

“When we plan the squad from a recruitment perspective, I think it was really important in our heads that we found players that want to run. You have to run, but smart runs. The balance is really positive with two young, powerful runners, and a more experienced player behind them able to manage different tactical problems and give advice.”

• Competition for places

With the transfer window closing at the start of September, the club has attacked the market and brought in several new faces to boost the quality of the squad, hoping for a sizeable return on investment by staying up.

Amid speculation of perhaps more signings entering the door, questions over consequential departures were raised to Le Bris.

“The flow of this transfer window is always a bit weird; sometimes it is very slow, but probably next week, many movements will appear. We will have options, so we will see.”

Among those who could find himself fending off incomings for his place is Dan Ballard, especially those with European experience.

The defender’s heroics in the play-offs made him a worshipped figure to the Sunderland faithful, yet Le Bris asserted that he needs to maintain consistency so his place is not put in jeopardy.

“I am not surprised by his performances because he showed it in the play-offs. The main challenge for him is to repeat week after week, and it is always the main problem. We have many talented players, but the main challenge will be the ability to repeat.”

The Sunderland head coach added, “I think we need competition to be consistent in this league and we need the competition for he squad. Also for the position as well, because of injuries and suspension, but also because of different styles of play we will have to face.”