Phil Smith: 14 things I learned from reporting on Sunderland's pre-season trip to Portugal

Phil Smith has been out in Portugal with Sunderland as they prepare for their Premier League campaign.

Here, he recaps everything we’ve learned from the last week and the two high-profile friendlies against Sevilla and Sporting.....

Sunderland are giving this a right go

You don't just see it in the players already signed, though that is of course the biggest giveaway. You see it in the increased backroom staff and the elite experience they have brought. The attention to detail behind the scenes and the level of work that is being done to recruit top players from Europe.

Sunderland are realistic about the challenge ahead but they'e determined to not just make up the numbers. Landing back in the UK to learn that Granit Xhaka is keen on a move to the club just underlines it.

And they have an AFCON plan

Whether or not a move for Xhaka happens, it's a sign that Sunderland have an AFCON plan. The number of players who'll be missing when that tournament comes round has been a big concern for an otherwise very excited fanbase, and while Régis Le Bris admitted to The Echo that it's far from ideal, he also said he was confident there would be sufficient depth come the end of the window. That they are moving on another midfielder, the position they are currently arguably best set for the new season, demonstrates that.

Régis Le Bris is upbeat - and so should we all be

Le Bris admitted he was pleasantly surprised by aspects of the performance against Sporting on Monday night, though some poor finishing and sloppy defending took the edge off a little. The Sunderland head nevertheless feels his players are making faster than expected progress in gelling as a unit, summed up perfectly by some of the excellent football the midfield trio of Noah Sadiki, Habib Diarra and Enzo Le Fée are producing. Add Chris Rigg, Dan Neil (and dare we hope Granit Xhaka) to the mix and it's a position where Sunderland look stronger than they have for years.

With five fixtures still to play before West Ham's visit kickstarts the season, there's good reason to hope that the Black Cats will be ready to compete at the very least.

But there's a still a lot of work to do in the transfer market

Sunderland are in better shape than we might have imagined in the days after their win at Wembley, but it's equally clear that they need a lot more depth in defensive positions if they are to compete across a full season. Reinildo will make a big difference when fully fit and so too will those returning from injury around a month into the season, but it's clear that at least one central defender is an absolute must.

Sunderland won't be all about a low block this season

Given the way Sunderland approached their play-off fixtures, there's no doubt that they will be happy at times to set in a low block and break quickly when they win the ball back. These games have shown that it won't all be about that, though. Against Sporting they did sit in to keep their shape at times, but the tactical acumen and energy of their midfield means they can press aggressively at times. They caused Sporting real problems throughout the first half and showed that they are going to try and have a few strings to their bow this season.

And their promotion winners have a big battle on their hands

Only a handful of the team Le Bris put out in the first half of each of these two friendlies featured at Wembley as Sunderland won promotion two months ago. We shouldn't read too much into this as Le Bris made clear that players such as Dan Neil and Patrick Roberts have a strong chance of being in contention to face West Ham United, but it underlines the challenge ahead for all of last season's squad. Sunderland are prepared to be ruthless if needs be. Football moves fast.

We can expect further movement in the goalkeeping department before the summer is out

Bids for Marcin Bulka and Djorde Petrovic in the end didn't yield a positive result, but Le Bris all but confirmed to The Echo on Monday night that the club are still looking to sign a new goalkeeper. Given the fees they were prepared to commit to those two aforementioned players, it's fair to guess that it will be a significant acquisition if they can pull it off.

That will in turn see Matty Young head out on loan to the EFL, while Blondy Nna Noukeu could also depart in search of senior football. A minor injury has been badly timed for Anthony Patterson, who will be desperate to prove he is ready to play in the Premier League on a regular basis.

It's never done until it's done

Sunderland looked all set to sign Armand Laurienté, the player even flying out to Portugal for a medical. That the deal had collapsed by Sunday morning is a reminded of how quickly things can change in football and with transfers, especially with the kind of sums involved in the deals that Sunderland are now doing. A lesson to take forward into the rest of the summer window. Until pen is on paper, it ain't done.

And now Sunderland need to sign another winger

You wonder whether Sunderland moving on Laurienté, a target throughout the summer, had something to do with Romaine Mundle suffering a recurrence of his hamstring injury in training earlier in the week. Mundle will miss the start of the season and though the surgery was successful, he's going to miss a fair few games. Sunderland now need to go back into the market to ensure they have the depth they need, with Simon Adingra the only senior left winger currently available. Milan Aleksic has shown some promise there on occasions, but needs a loan to develop consistency and prefers to play through the middle anyway. Chemsdine Talbi can play on the left but Le Bris was at pains to point out on Monday night that he is a young player who needs time to settle and develop. It was a position where Sunderland thought they were pretty much set - now there's work to be done.

Jenson Seelt is ready for a big season

Whether it's at Sunderland or out on loan remains to be seen, but there's no doubt at this point that Seelt has taken a big step forward. He's matured physically during his long spell on the sidelines, bolstering his defensive game. In possession he's always had a touch of class but he looks more decisive and more confident, probably Sunderland's best player against Sporting on Monday night. He's looking like a real asset for Sunderland and with the club still working to bring in central defenders, he'll likely get more opportunities to impress in the next couple of games. Sunderland won't rush into a decision on his short-term future and it might still be that a loan is best if the club do recruit significantly. Either way, he looks set for a big campaign.

Noah Sadiki is going to be a fan favourite

Even spending just a little bit of time around the camp, you can see what a character this guy is. Always running, laughing, joking. He's quickly settled at the club and given the energy he's put into pre-season friendlies, his passion in competitive fixtures is I suspect going to endear him very quickly to supporters.

Ahmed Abdullahi is a big talent

It's been a really good couple of weeks for Abdullahi, who looks fit and sharp after an injury-hit first season on Wearside. He's caused real problems across all three of his appearances in pre season so far, and should have scored a goal against Sevilla. You suspect it's a little soon for him to play regularly in the Premier League and Sunderland might need to get him regular minutes elsewhere to begin with, but they look to have signed a good prospect for the future.

Sunderland's youngsters have done their long-term prospects no harm

Sunderland had a lot of academy players with them as they build out their squad this summer and all of them can rightly feel that they've taken a big step forward. Special mentions for Harrison Jones who again did well in a very unfamiliar left back role, and Zak Johnson who was excellent in both games. A defender who keeps it simple and does the basics very well, he could be a terrific pick up for a club in the EFL if the time isn't quite right for him to break through at Sunderland.

Enzo Le Fée is class

No further explanation necessary.

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