Latest news with #Lorient
France 24
3 hours ago
- Business
- France 24
Sunderland make Le Fee move permanent for record fee
The 25-year-old arrived at the Stadium of Light on a six-month loan in January and was a key player as Sunderland won the Championship play-offs after finishing fourth in the table. Le Fee has penned a four-year deal and will cost a reported £19.3million ($26 million) after a clause in his loan deal was activated once Sunderland sealed promotion. "I said before the play-off final that my heart was in Sunderland - I wanted to stay and this made it the most important game of my life. Together, we did it," Le Fee told the club website. "From the moment I arrived, I have enjoyed my football, my team-mates and our supporters. We shared an incredible experience and now we get to take the next step." Le Fee had previously worked with Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris at Lorient before joining Rennes and a big money move to Roma less than 12 months ago. However, he made just 10 appearances for the Italian giants before being loaned out. © 2025 AFP
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Sheffield Utd vs Sunderland LIVE SCORE: O'Nien suffers HORROR dislocated shoulder early in £200m game & Moore goes close
Day of destiny Afternoon and welcome to the SunSport's live blog of the Championship play-off final, aka the most expensive game in football. The incentives, as always, couldn't be higher for our set of teams. For Sheffield United, prodigal son Chris Wilder's second spell at the club has been geared to replicate what made him folklore in his first. The Blades, who were victims of the cut-throat two-team automatic promotion, have been thrust into the playoffs with the aim of overcoming post-season hoodoo – never winning at this stage. As for underdogs Sunderland, the debut season for manager Régis Le Bris couldn't have been constructed more smoothly. The Frenchmen arrived from Ligue 1-relegated Lorient with promise and precariousness but has delivered in the latter – guiding a youthful side to their first chance of regaining top-flight status since their relegation in 2017. This is not a game that promises goals, but it makes up for it in a bucket load of tense drama.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Regis Le Bris is 'on the edge' - and Sunderland's boss wouldn't have it any other way
REGIS Le Bris lives life "on the edge" as a football manager - but Sunderland's boss wouldn't have it any other way. "This is the flow of the competition," he said. "If you accept we are on the edge then it's much easier to accept the unpredictability and sometimes you can't control everything." Le Bris is speaking from relatively recent experience. A year ago this week, Le Bris' Lorient side suffered relegation from Ligue 1 in the most devastating circumstances. Despite thrashing Clermont 5-0 on the final day of the season, favours needed elsewhere didn't materialise and Le Bris' side ended up going down on the head-to-head away goals tie-breaker rule. Twelve months later, the 49-year-old is hoping to experience the complete opposite end of season emotion. Win at Wembley today and Le Bris, whose appointment raised eyebrows 12 months ago on the back of that relegation, is a Premier League manager. "In football it can be quick," he smiled. "So you are here and then, a month later, you have another opportunity. It's like the whole game, it's unpredictable, with many ups and downs. Life is not definite." RECOMMENDED READING: Le Bris has tackled the emotional rollercoaster that is the Championship with an extremely calm head. But away from the glare of the cameras, has there been moments of doubt? "With players, squad, staff, manager, we are always on the edge," he repeated. "We can't think that at this level we are in a comfort zone, it doesn't exist. "We have to embrace this doubt, this feeling that you can lose or you can win sometimes on just one decision or detail." Le Bris thinks the psychological strength of his players has been Sunderland's secret weapon this season, which gives him immense confidence ahead of today's final at Wembley. "We didn't change the routine ahead of the final," he said. "I think the psychology is connected to the gameplan and the concepts we use all season. Everything is connected. We did it from the beginning until now so we don't need to change something. If the players are connected with their main strengths I think they will manage the final." Le Bris has spent the last couple of days deliberating over his team selection for the final. Much will depend on the fitness of Romaine Mundle and Patrick Roberts, who have both been nursing minor injury issues over the last week or so. Mundle's availability will dictate where Enzo Le Fee will play today. If Mundle misses out, the Roma loanee will likely start out on the left but if the winger is fit Le Bris will be able to field the Frenchman in a central role, where he believes he's at his best. "Enzo is really important for the group but it was in a specific period with many injuries," said Sunderland's boss. "We had to manage his position. He played as a left winger 95% of his game-time. "We had to manage this season many injuries. He was really useful but like another teammate because we went through some different moments." Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham are nailed on starters in midfield for the Black Cats, with Bellingham, the Championship's Young Player of the Season, looking to cap a superb campaign. 'For me personally, to get promoted this year would be everything to me,' he said. 'The lads and myself have invested so much this year but just speaking for myself, I've given everything. 'After last season and the way that it ended, I wanted to make sure that I was still here and that I was ready to go. To right the wrongs and take Sunderland back to where they should be, where they should always be. 'I've worked tirelessly to be in the best shape and play the best football that I can, I think I have done that. 'It would mean everything to me, if we could all share moment at Wembley it would be really special.' SUNDERLAND PROBABLE XI: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Neil, Bellingham, Rigg, Roberts, Le Fee, Mayenda
South Wales Guardian
24-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Regis Le Bris focused on making sure Sunderland take their chance to step up
The 49-year-old Frenchman, who arrived at the Stadium of Light last summer after suffering relegation from Ligue 1 with Lorient, stands on the brink of a promotion which some experts suggest could net his club up to £220million. However while acknowledging the potential financial impact of ending the Black Cats' eight-year exile from the top flight, Le Bris insists all he can concentrate on is what happens on the pitch against Sheffield United in Saturday's Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley. 🎙️ RLB on the last week: 'We have kept the usual schedule. We have focused on our identity. I asked the players at the start of the season what they wanted to achieve. They said promotion. Now here is our chance…' — Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 22, 2025 He said: 'I know the details, but I can't focus on it because my only focus is the game. After that, we'll have consequences, positive or negative. 'It will be positive because even if we are not promoted at the end of the season, we can feel that the club is growing again and we have good signs for the future.' Sunderland's rise under Le Bris has been little short of remarkable. The club's slide into League One, where they spent four seasons, resulted in tough financial decisions. However, astute recruitment and a conveyor belt of Academy graduates has provided the current head coach with a team which includes the likes of Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and Brighton-bound Tommy Watson, who have all attracted the attention of prospective buyers. Asked if promotion to the Premier League and the money that would bring might help him to keep his team together longer than he might otherwise be able to, Le Bris said with a smile: 'I don't know really because I'm not the owner. But probably it can help.' Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will hope he has those decisions to make following the final whistle at Wembley firm in the knowledge that next season's Championship may be even more competitive with the wealth of Birmingham and Wrexham arriving from League One. Le Bris said: 'When you have your opportunity, it's important to catch it because we don't know the future. It's difficult to anticipate the future, so stay connected now with the opportunity and try your best.' Whatever happens beneath the famous arch, Le Bris is confident he will be a better coach than he was at the start of the campaign for what he has been through since, just as he believes he was 12 months ago in the wake of Lorient's relegation. He said: 'This experience was tough. When you get relegated at the end of the season and you suffer during the whole season, it's tough for the club, the squad, the coach and for the staff. 'But at the same time, it was really useful because you learn in these circumstances. At the end of the season, I thought I was a better coach even if the outcome was really negative, so it was useful for this reason.' Asked if the same would apply this time around, he said: 'Probably, yes. I hope so.'
Glasgow Times
24-05-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Regis Le Bris focused on making sure Sunderland take their chance to step up
The 49-year-old Frenchman, who arrived at the Stadium of Light last summer after suffering relegation from Ligue 1 with Lorient, stands on the brink of a promotion which some experts suggest could net his club up to £220million. However while acknowledging the potential financial impact of ending the Black Cats' eight-year exile from the top flight, Le Bris insists all he can concentrate on is what happens on the pitch against Sheffield United in Saturday's Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley. 🎙️ RLB on the last week: 'We have kept the usual schedule. We have focused on our identity. I asked the players at the start of the season what they wanted to achieve. They said promotion. Now here is our chance…' — Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) May 22, 2025 He said: 'I know the details, but I can't focus on it because my only focus is the game. After that, we'll have consequences, positive or negative. 'It will be positive because even if we are not promoted at the end of the season, we can feel that the club is growing again and we have good signs for the future.' Sunderland's rise under Le Bris has been little short of remarkable. The club's slide into League One, where they spent four seasons, resulted in tough financial decisions. However, astute recruitment and a conveyor belt of Academy graduates has provided the current head coach with a team which includes the likes of Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and Brighton-bound Tommy Watson, who have all attracted the attention of prospective buyers. Jobe Bellingham is one of the young Sunderland stars being monitored by potential buyers (Steve Welsh/PA) Asked if promotion to the Premier League and the money that would bring might help him to keep his team together longer than he might otherwise be able to, Le Bris said with a smile: 'I don't know really because I'm not the owner. But probably it can help.' Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will hope he has those decisions to make following the final whistle at Wembley firm in the knowledge that next season's Championship may be even more competitive with the wealth of Birmingham and Wrexham arriving from League One. Le Bris said: 'When you have your opportunity, it's important to catch it because we don't know the future. It's difficult to anticipate the future, so stay connected now with the opportunity and try your best.' Whatever happens beneath the famous arch, Le Bris is confident he will be a better coach than he was at the start of the campaign for what he has been through since, just as he believes he was 12 months ago in the wake of Lorient's relegation. He said: 'This experience was tough. When you get relegated at the end of the season and you suffer during the whole season, it's tough for the club, the squad, the coach and for the staff. 'But at the same time, it was really useful because you learn in these circumstances. At the end of the season, I thought I was a better coach even if the outcome was really negative, so it was useful for this reason.' Asked if the same would apply this time around, he said: 'Probably, yes. I hope so.'
