Sunderland are back!. Back in the Premier League after an eight-year absence. In that time, the Black Cats were also relegated to League One, won two playoff finals, and gave their fans a rollercoaster journey.<\/p>\n
Despite being one of the favourites to be relegated, Sunderland have spent almost \u00a3150 million to improve their squad in the hope of not only surviving but competing with the best in the league. They face West Ham United in their first game at a sold-out Stadium of Light, and with the backing of their fans, they will be desperate to get three points at the first attempt.<\/p>\n
Here is our Sunderland predicted lineup for their first game back in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
Sunderland have been one of the busiest clubs in Europe so far this summer, spending almost \u00a3150 million on signing 11 new players. Those are:<\/p>\n
Enzo Le Fee – Roma – \u00a320m
\nHabib Diarra – Strasbourg – \u00a330m
\nArthur Masuaku – Besiktas – free
\nNoah Sadiki – Union Saint-Gilloise – \u00a315m
\nReinildo Mandava – Atletico Madrid – free
\nChemsdine Talbi – Club Brugge – \u00a319m
\nSimon Adingra – Brighton – \u00a320.5m
\nGranit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen – \u00a317.3m
\nRobin Roefs – NEC Nijmegen – \u00a311.5m
\nOmar Alderete – Getafe – \u00a310m
\nMarc Guiu – Chelsea – loan<\/p>\n
Ougoings<\/p>\n
Tom Watson – Brighton – \u00a310m
\nJobe Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund – \u00a332m
\nNathan Bishop – AFC Wimbledon – undisclosed
\nAdil Aouchiche – Aberdeen – loan
\nMatty Young – Salford – loan
\nTom Lavery – Cliftonville FC – loan<\/p>\n
Read More: Sunderland Sign Central Defender Ahead of Premier League Opener<\/a><\/p>\n It was a mixed bag of results during pre-season; however, with many new players arriving and injuries to contend with, the results were not as important as integrating new players and getting players match fit. Regis Le Bris\u2019 men ended pre-season with two wins, four defeats and a draw.<\/p>\n Sunderland\u2019s main absentees will be defender Luke O\u2019Nien, winger Romain Mundle and left-back Dennis Cirkin. O\u2019Nien injured his shoulder early in the play-off final and is expected to miss the first three games. Romain Mundle injured his hamstring early in pre-season and is not expected back until October. Dennis Cirkin is back in light training following surgery on his wrist and like Luke O\u2019Nien, is expected to miss the first three games.<\/p>\nPre-Season<\/h3>\n
Injury News<\/h3>\n
Regis Le Bris on Opening Game<\/h3>\n