Sunderland’s new era, the key figures reshaping club on and off the pitch | OneFootball

Sunderland’s overhaul has accelerated since promotion, with Kristjaan Speakman’s exit as sporting director last Friday marking a major shift. According to Sunderland Echo, director of football Florent Ghisolfi fronts a model built under owners Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori.

They kept pace with the automatic promotion frontrunners, then fell short before a successful play-off reset. The scale of change since has been striking, and the team and staff who won twice at Wembley are replaced, with only a few stalwarts still in place.

Luke O’Nien remains a leading voice, with Dan Ballard and Trai Hume influential, but the baton has passed to experienced arrivals under Le Bris. Premier League resources allowed added flexibility, and figures such as Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele now drive standards, with resilience and work rate still defining the side.

The philosophy remains despite two windows that have almost rebuilt the squad. January underlined it, a 22-year-old goalkeeper, a 22-year-old left winger and a 22-year-old right winger arrived, with Melker Ellborg and Nilson Angulo among them.

The recruitment engine has been rebuilt. Stuart Harvey departed in October and a strengthened department now sits under Ghisolfi, pursuing the same end goal with different personnel and methods, widening focus from academy graduates to elite talent across Europe.

Off the pitch, revenue growth is pivotal under PSR and SCR rules. Chief Business Officer David Bruce has driven deals with hummel and Fanatics and a Delaware North overhaul, while Bia Sports Group executives, including Mike Papadimitriou, hold key roles.

Source: Sunderland Echo