Régis Le Bris snubbed for Premier League award despite historic Sunderland achievement | OneFootball

Régis Le Bris has missed out on the Barclays Manager of the Season award despite guiding Sunderland to European qualification in his first Premier League campaign.

The head coach was among six nominees alongside Keith Andrews, Mikel Arteta, Michael Carrick, Pep Guardiola and Andoni Iraola. Reuters reported that Arsenal’s Arteta was named Premier League Manager of the Year after delivering the club’s first league title in 22 years.

Sunderland finished seventh and returned to Europe for the first time since 1973-74, only one year after winning promotion through the Championship play-offs. A dramatic final-day win over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light sealed their Europa League berth, completing a rise from League One to Europe in just four years.

Le Bris consistently downplayed talk of Europe, yet his side defied expectations to finish above Chelsea, Brentford and Brighton. They became one of the few newly promoted Premier League teams to qualify for Europe via league position.

Arteta’s triumph was no surprise given Arsenal’s title, but Le Bris’ nomination underlined his impact at the Stadium of Light. The Frenchman has quickly become one of the most admired figures in the Premier League. Sunderland now face a demanding 2026-27 across the league, Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao, with Le Bris stressing humility, hard work and improvement.

Source: Sunderland Echo