EFL Pundit offers early 2023/24 Sunderland prediction

Sunderland’s 2022/23 campaign ended in disappointment after a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Luton Town in the Championship play-off semi-finals.

Tony Mowbray arrived at the Stadium of Light in August to take over from Alex Neil, who departed for Stoke City at the very beginning of the season and guided the Black Cats to sixth place.

They ultimately fell short, with Luton too much for them at Kenilworth Road, following a 2-1 home win in the first leg.

Despite the disappointment at the end of this campaign, there is still optimism that they can be a strong side again next season. Sunderland’s squad average age is among the youngest in the second tier and should stand them in good stead in 2023/24.

They have exceeded expectations this season by finishing in the top six for back-to-back campaigns. Sunderland were promoted from League One last season via the play-offs by beating Wycombe Wanderers 2-0.

Sunderland 2023/24 prediction

George Elek of the Not the Top 20 podcast explained his thoughts on Mowbray’s side heading into the summer, he said: “Next season, I’d be pretty confident that Sunderland are going to continue their upward trajectory. I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t.

“I think they have proven themselves to be very, very good at recruiting young players from academies within the country. I think it’s an area that’s fairly untapped.

“In Stuart Harvey, their head of player recruitment, they’ve got somebody who can quite clearly identify young talent who are first-team ready. They’ve done it on the continent as well, which is pretty hard with Brexit rules.

“I don’t see any reason why this will be a flash in the pan, especially given their size and the potential with them being a former Premier League mainstay. I don’t see why they wouldn’t be a top-six contender again.”

Can Sunderland hold on to their star players this summer?

Elek stated that he wouldn’t be surprised if Sunderland sold one key player this summer, he explained his rationale for that and said: “I guess there are players that will be attractive prospects in the Premier League. If they’ll be able to keep hold of them, I’m not sure.

“I anticipate the way that Sunderland are run now, unlike previous seasons, that there will be a price for these players, and if that price is met they’ll be allowed to move on, which is the correct way to run a football club.

“It’s going to be interesting to see who is still there next season. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they try cash in on one. You know, recoup a big fee and reinvest that into what is a good player ID department.

“I think Sunderland as a football club are in a great position now. I think over the last four-or-five seasons the whole culture of the club has changed. The whole outlook is much better now. All credit to them.”

Who might Sunderland sell this summer?

It could be any number of players, given that so many are young and promising talents at the Stadium of Light.

As Elek says, it would possibly be the smart move to help fund their window and improve the squad as a whole if you sell only one of your stars but for a good fee.

Jack Clarke, Anthony Patterson, Dan Neil, and Daniel Ballard are the most likely candidates, and it may be the best decision to sell just one and create a deeper squad capable of fighting it out for promotion once again.