Régis Le Bris overlooked for Premier League award after historic Sunderland Europa League place | OneFootball

Régis Le Bris has missed out on the Premier League Manager of the Season award despite steering Sunderland to a historic Europa League qualification in his first Premier League campaign.

Reuters reports that Mikel Arteta claimed the prize after leading Arsenal to the Premier League title, their first in 22 years.

The Sunderland head coach was on a six-strong shortlist for the Barclays accolade, alongside Keith Andrews, Mikel Arteta, Michael Carrick, Pep Guardiola and Andoni Iraola.

The Black Cats finished seventh and secured European football for the first time since 1973-74, only one year after promotion via the Championship play-offs. They clinched a Europa League place with a dramatic final-day win over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light, completing a rise from League One to Europe in just four years.

Le Bris consistently played down European talk, yet his team kept defying expectations to finish above Chelsea, Brentford and Brighton. They were one of only a handful of newly promoted sides to reach Europe through league position.

Arteta’s triumph was no surprise given Arsenal’s title, but Le Bris’s nomination underlined his rapid impact at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland now face a demanding 2026-27 across Premier League and Europa League duties, plus the FA Cup and Carabao. Le Bris has already stressed the need for humility, hard work and continued improvement.

Source: Sunderland Echo