4 days ago
11
Top 10 revealed
©TM/IMAGO
Sunderland have gripped the nation after their superb first half of the Premier League season. In the previous two campaigns, we saw all three promoted sides go straight back down to the Championship, offering little fight in the process. Given the Black Cats finished fourth in the English second-flight last term, and they only made it to the glitz and the glamour of the Premier League thanks to a last-minute turn around at Wembley in the play-off final, many expected their fate to be the same.
Sunderland actually broke the record over the summer for the most money spent by a promoted side (€187.9m), but with a huge abundance of new players trying to gel, most still felt they would struggle to beat the drop. Nevertheless, we are now over half way through the Premier League season, and Régis Le Bris' side are flying. Sunderland are currently ninth in the table on 33 points, already just seven points adrift of the famous benchmark of 40 points which usually sees teams safe.
Furthermore, due to the congested nature of the league this season, the Black Cats are actually just three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, and face relegation-threatened West Ham this weekend. Regardless of what happens from here (apart from literally not picking up another point and being relegated) it will have been a fantastic season for Sunderland. But where could they rank among the best ever campaigns for a newly-promoted team in the Premier League?
Best seasons for newly-promoted Premier League teams
To calculate this, Transfermarkt have trawled back through the database and worked out the highest points totals for newly-promoted sides since the Premier League's inception in the 1992/93 season . To work out Sunderland's potential total this term, we have gathered their points-per-game record so far this season and multiplied by 38 (the number of games in a season).
Incredibly, just one team can better that figure. The best ever promoted club, in terms of points, were Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United in the 2020/21 campaign. The Argentine worked wonders at Elland Road, and with a squad largely comprised in the Championship, his team finished ninth with 59 points. Then we have Sunderland, who have so far taken 33 points from their opening 22 games, equating to 1.50ppg (points per game). If we times that by the 38 games in a Premier League season, it means the Black Cats would finish the season on a mightily impressive 57 points.
Now, of course it will be difficult to replicate what they have done so far, but given their numerous new signings have had more time to gel, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Sunderland achieve or even eclipse that number. It also emphasises what a season they are having. Wolves in the 2018/19 season under Nuno Espírito Santo also achieved 57 points in there first season back in the top-flight. Reading (55 points in 2006/07) and West Ham (55 points in 2005/06) complete the top five.
