Sunderland has been absent from the Premier League for a long time, but on August 15th, the Black Cats will return to the top flight.
West Ham United will visit the Stadium of Light on the opening day, with Regis Le Bris’ men hoping for a victory to instantly soothe the Wearside crowd.
Funnier things have happened on the exciting first day of England’s top flight, and given the number of high-profile signings that have come, Sunderland will undoubtedly be confident in their ability to defeat the Hammers and begin the season on the best possible note.
Heroes could emerge throughout the season as the Black Cats attempt to stay afloat in the Premier League, with many of the new Sunderland faces no doubt hoping to cement their place in the club’s hall of fame if survival is secured, much like Jermain Defoe did when he led the line with class over a century of appearances on Wearside.
Defoe’s goal-scoring heroics at Sunderland
Unfortunately, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker would be relegated to the EFL with the Black Cats. However, he is still held in high regard for his goal-scoring exploits outside of the tragic blot on his resume.
Defoe would go on to score a total of 37 goals for the club in 100 games, with a big chunk of those – 15 to be exact – coming during the 2015/16 season, when Sunderland barely kept their Premier League membership alive. Without Defoe’s key efforts, relegation would have occurred much faster.
Sunderland will hope they aren’t weak on strikers when they return to the Premier League, as last season’s 13-goal hero Wilson Isidor has never been tested in the English top tier.
With exciting Spanish talents in the form of Gonzalo Garcia and Luis Suarez also reportedly on their radar, Le Bris and Co. may be better off signing an experienced head up top who knows the Premier League inside and out to ensure safety at the very least, with this target one they should pursue if they want to win their next potential version of Defoe.
Sunderland might sign the next Defoe
After all, while Sunderland fans are excited about their swift summer business, there is no assurance that Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki will hit the ground running in the Premier League’s hostile climate.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, on the other hand, should be able to slot into the Sunderland XI and lead the line with confidence if he can overcome his reoccurring injury issues, having made a whopping 239 appearances in the competitive league.
His knowledge of the division has also piqued the interest of Manchester United and Newcastle United in his free agent services, after he left his long-term Merseyside employers earlier this summer.
That will mean that Sunderland, who have previously been connected to the injury-prone striker according to SportsBoom, would have a difficult task in acquiring the ex-Toffees number nine over their higher-up competitors.
However, Sunderland has already demonstrated a level of bravery in the whirlwind transfer market by beating Leeds to the signings of Diarra and Sadiki, and while the Red Devils and Magpies will be enticing options for Calvert-Lewin, he will undoubtedly know that more regular game time awaits him at the Stadium of Light.
| Calvert-Lewin’s record at Everton in the PL | |
|---|---|
| Stat | Calvert-Lewin |
| Games played | 239 |
| Substitute appearances | 60 |
| Goals scored | 57 |
| Assists | 15 |
| Penalty record | 5/6 scored (83%) |
| Duels won | 1423 |
| Stats from the Premier League | |
When he isn’t troubled by recurrent trips to the treatment room, Calvert-Lewin has proven to be a consistent scorer in the Premier League, with 57 goals in 239 appearances. Back in 2020, amid interest from Manchester United, the Toffees rated him at £80 million.
This abundance of experience places him on the same level as the now-retired ex-Sunderland striker, with his extensive understanding of the tough division and goalscoring ability when healthy, making him a Defoe-like figure beyond their common international loyalty to England.
Further described as “sensational” by football journalist Connor O’Neill last year while playing for Everton, this appears to be a wise signing that could help Sunderland avoid relegation. It will, of course, be up to the former Sheffield United player to try to return to his injury-free form.
But, if he can regain his “monster” status in front of goal, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig once described him, he may be the spark that pulls the Black Cats away from relegation, much like Defoe once was.
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