Watanni goma sha biyu da suka wuce, an yi kiyasin cewa Sunderland za yi gwagwarmaya a lokacin kakarsu ta farko ta Premier League bayan samun haɓakawa ta play-offs na Championship. Abin da ya biyo baya yana ɗaya daga cikin labarun da suka fi ban mamaki a tarihin ƙwallon ƙafa na Ingila na zamani: matsayi na bakwai da cancanta ta shiga gasar Turai a karo na farko cikin fiye da rabin ƙarni.

Yanzu, yayin da ƙungiyar Regis Le Bris ke shirya don kakarsu ta biyu a jere a babbar gasar, tambayar ba ta ƙara kasancewa ko za su tsira ba — sai dai zuwa ina za su iya hawa.

Tawagar da aka gina don yin gogayya

Le Bris ya riƙe tsakiya ta asali da ta samu haɓakawa kuma ya ƙarfafa ta da sababbin canje-canje masu ƙwarin gwiwa. Nordi Mukiele ya zo daga Paris Saint-Germain, yayin da Brian Brobbey ya shiga daga Ajax don jagorantar layin kai hari. Amma ƙarin mafi ban sha'awa shi ne Granit Xhaka — ɗan wasa wanda ya zo jim kaɗan bayan kusan kammalallen kakar wasa a Bayer Leverkusen, kuma jagorancinsa da nutsuwarsa sun canza ɗakin tukunya nan take.

Masu tsaron gida Noah Sadiki da Omar Alderete sun kammala ginin layin tsaro ba tare da jan hankali iri ɗaya ba, amma duka biyun sun kasance masu mahimmanci sosai a duk lokacin kakar wasa. Stadium of Light ya zama ɗaya daga cikin filayen da suka fi wahala a gasar, kuma Sunderland sun yi nasara a kan Chelsea, Everton, da, mafi ƙarfin tunawa, maƙwabta da abokan hamayya Newcastle United.

Tasirin Enzo Le Fee

Babu musanyar da ta haifar da mamaki kamar aro na Enzo Le Fee zuwa Sunderland a watan Janairu 2025 — kusan watanni shida kawai bayan Roma ta saye shi da kusan £20 miliyan. Dan wasan tsakiya ya kashe dukan masu shakka, yana taimakawa a tura tawagar zuwa haɓakawa kafin ya sanya hannu da kwangilar dindindin ya ci gaba da aikinsa a Premier League. Ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin mafi tasirin ɗan wasa na kulob ɗin kafin kakar 2026-27.

Matasa a zuciyar aikin

Sunderland sun kasance da matsakaicin shekara mafi ƙanƙantar jerin farawa a Premier League a kakar da ta gabata, a bayan Chelsea kawai. Robin Roefs, Chemsdine Talbi, Chris Rigg, Habib Diarra, da Eliezer Mayenda duk sun yi gudummawar yau da kullun duk da cewa duka sun kasance ƙasa da shekara 23, kuma Le Bris ya samu yabo mai yawa saboda amincewa da ya ba wa wannan ƙungiyar matasa. Brian Brobbey ya jagoranci jerin masu ci da ƙwallaye bakwai na Premier League a wasanni 31.

Turai da ƙalubalen da ke gaba

Sunderland sun zama ƙungiya ta biyar kawai a tarihin Premier League da ta cancanci gasar Turai ta hanyar matsayinsu a gasar bayan an haɓake su. Wannan nasarar tana da farashi: jadawalin Alhamis-Lahadi wanda ya karya ƙungiyoyi masu ƙarin gogewa. Daidaita tsakanin shiga gasar UEFA Europa League da jadawalin gida mai wahala zai ƙayyade ko wannan lokaci ne na wucin gadi ko farkon wani abu mai ɗorewa.

A cikin magoya baya, mutane na mafarkin manyan manufa. Wani mai goyon baya ya taƙaita yanayin: bayan shekara 53 ba tare da ƙwallon ƙafa na Turai ba, birni yana cikin farin ciki — kuma tsammanin, wanda a baya yake mai taka tsantsan, yanzu an ɗaga shi zuwa matakin da ba za a yi imani da shi ba. Ko Sunderland za su iya cimma wannan shi ne mafi ban sha'awa a kakar wasa ta ƙwallon ƙafa ta Ingila ta sabo.

Hukuncin FourFourTwo yana sanya Sunderland a matsayi na 17 a kakar wasa ta wannan shekara; mujallar ta lura cewa teburin xG na kakar wasa ta gabata ya sanya Black Cats har zuwa matsayi na 18 kafin farfadowar ƙarshe wacce ta kai su matsayi na bakwai.