Sunderland are building a vibrant and cosmopolitan squad — but let’s exercise caution.

The recent arrival of some exciting young players from Europe is very much in line with Sunderland’s style, but let’s see how they manage the pressure once the real action begins.

In the last week, there has been a lot of talk about the new alliance at the top of Sunderland’s hierarchy, namely the working relationship between Kristjaan Speakman and newly hired director of football Florent Ghisolfi. Does the addition of Ghisolfi, who has an exceptional CV, imply that Speakman’s job will change?

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Can the former AS Roma man enable Sunderland to successfully tap into markets that have often been tricky to navigate, and given his reputation for cutting deals for quality players during his time in Italy, will we continue to operate in a new ballpark in terms of the fees paid and the calibre of players we can attract?

Of course, with a good deal of the transfer window left to run and plenty of incomings and outgoings yet to be rubber-stamped, those questions may well be answered in time.

However, with Senegal international Habib Diarra and Congolese prospect Noah Sadiki already onboard, and experienced left back Reinildo seemingly set to join alongside Club Brugge winger Chemsedine Talbi, I think what we can say for certain is that Sunderland are persisting with their mission to build a diverse and cosmopolitan squad — something that has potential upsides and downsides.

In the first instance, I really do love the fact that we’re putting together a squad featuring players from a variety of different backgrounds and who’ve been signed on the basis that they can grow and develop along with the club.

This continues a pattern that began to emerge at the start of the 2022/2023 season, and it’s always a sign of faith in your approach when you start looking further afield for potential acquisitions. So, could this be where the divergence occurs? Will Speakman be in charge of our local transfers, while Ghisolfi will be looking for fresh players in the European leagues?

Fundamentally, it appears that there is very little value to be found outside of the free agent market when it comes to signing players from the UK, hence Sunderland’s decision to turn elsewhere for large money additions is understandable.

However, it’s crucial to remember that, as spectacular as Diarra and Sadiki’s signings appear in terms of percentiles and other metrics, we won’t be able to fully measure their influence until we see them play competitively for the Lads.

Only until the real action begins in August will we be able to judge whether those high numbers on the continent can be supported by the kind of attitude, work rate, ability to handle the pressure of expectation and to gel with their new teammates that every new signing needs to bring to the table.

Of course, there’s no reason to believe that Diarra, who has captaincy experience at Strasbourg, and Sadiki, who is said to be a key member of a Union Saint Gilloise team that recently won the Belgian title for the first time in ninety years and has been described as a’superb player’ by Seb Stafford-Bloor of The Athletic, won’t be able to make an immediate impact.

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However, as a freshly promoted club, the dynamic at Sunderland will be vastly different. Every expert, social media talking head, bookmaker, commentator, and rival fan will have us pegged as relegation candidates, which adds a lot of pressure. This is the first season since 2017/2018 in which our club’s challenge will be to avoid sliding through the trapdoor rather than scaling the top to promotion, and everyone — supporters, established players, and new arrivals alike — should be aware of this.

Overall, optimism mixed with a little prudence and awareness of what lies ahead may be the best route forward. Yes, our transfer business has clearly accelerated in recent weeks, and we are clearly an appealing destination for some of Europe’s hottest young prospects, but the goal for next season is clear: to survive and lay the groundwork for what will hopefully be an extended stay in the top flight.

Hopefully, our new crop of brilliant young things, led by the calm and composed Régis Le Bris, will help us achieve that. It’s almost as if a concept album is being produced in ‘Studio Stadium of Light’, and it’ll be interesting to hear what the final result sounds like.

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