Latest news with #RégisLeBris
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Armand Laurienté set for Sunderland medical
According to a report from Fabrice Hawkins, Armand Laurienté (26) is set to travel to the North East of England to complete a medical ahead of a proposed move to Sunderland. The newly promoted Premier League outfit have agreed a fee in the region of €20m with Sassuolo for the Frenchman's services. Laurienté has travelled to Sunderland on his private jet ahead of undergoing his medical. The French winger has agreed a 5-year contract at the Stadium of Light. The 26-year-old was pivotal in Sassuolo's instant promotion back to Serie A last term. He scored 19 goals and registered 6 assists in Serie B last season. Régis Le Bris is no stranger to Laurienté. The Sunderland manager coached the winger during his time at Lorient. He will also be reunited with his former Lorient teammate Enzo Le Fée, who joined the Black Cats permanently following their promotion to the Premier League. GFFN | Liam Wraith
The Guardian
28-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Sunderland agree club-record £30m deal for Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra
Sunderland have stepped up preparations for life in the Premier League by agreeing to sign the Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra for a club-record £30m, according to reports. The Black Cats have moved swiftly to head off interest from Leeds in the Ligue 1 side's captain and replace Jobe Bellingham, who has joined Borussia Dortmund for an initial £27.8m. The 21-year-old Senegal international scored in the 3-1 defeat of England at Wembley earlier this month. Sunderland opened their summer transfer business by signing Enzo Le Fée in a £20m deal from Roma and sold their English winger Tom Watson to Brighton for £10m. Rérgis Le Bris' Championship playoff winners are also reported to be interested in the Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, who had stints at Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Sassuolo's French winger Armand Laurienté. This story will update
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sunderland Keel Crossing: FOI reveals the weird and wonderful alternatives
If 14 people had their way, anyone crossing the newest route over the River Wear would be doing so on Bridgey McBridgeface. A public vote resulted in Sunderland's new footbridge being called Keel Crossing but, despite it being nine years since Boaty McBoatface topped a poll of names for the UK's new polar research ship, the play on words still seemed popular. For some, the chance to make a pun or a political point was too good to miss - with Bridge-it Jones, the Please Fix the Potholes Instead Bridge and Régis Le Bridge all being 1,705 submissions - outlandish and sensible alike - where whittled down to a final three by a panel of representatives from community organisations across the city, with the final choice giving a nod to the "city's rich shipbuilding history", Sunderland City Council said. The new £31m footbridge, which is due to open in the summer, links the city's Keel Square with the Sheepfolds and the Stadium of of the name suggestions revealed in response to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC reflect the city's heritage and many took the vote as an opportunity for a bit of fun with five people suggesting Footy McFootbridge and 31 calling for Régis Le Bridge, after Sunderland head coach and former French football manager, Régis le rather plaintive Would Rather Have Crowtree Back Bridge and Please Fix The Potholes Instead Bridge had one vote each. Drama series Bridgerton was also among the names inspired by TV and film, while Wor Bridgit was another strong word play an older reference, and making good use of the local dialect, one person suggested The Bridge over the River, Aye, and another opted for The Bridge over the River, Niall - a nod to former Sunderland striker Niall secretary and Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson missed out on being immortalised with Bridgey two people took the naming task more literally and suggested calling the 260m (853ft) structure Brian, or Colin. Football was a popular theme, with many people taking inspiration from the crossing's proximity to Sunderland AFC's home at the Stadium of suggested The Bridge of Light and variations on the words Black Cats, Stadium and wanted to name the bridge after six-year-old Bradley Lowery, who died of a rare form of cancer in shipbuilders and shipyards, lightbulb inventor Joseph Swan, the Wear, and the brewer Vaux were also popular topics. 'Sight to behold' But ultimately the chance of calling the crossing Bridgey McBridgeface was slim, given the 86 suggestions that included the word chance of a quirky sense of humour landing the city with a name it might regret was also averted by only letting Sunderland residents vote on a shortlist of Crossing - named after the structural backbone of a ship - was chosen with 55% of the votes, beating Wear Crossing and Beacon Bridge. City council leader Michael Mordey said the bridge was important as it extended the city centre to make areas such as the National Esports Arena, Sheepfolds Housing, and the Stadium of Light more accessible."I think I speak for every fan when I say I can't wait to see the spectacle of the Keel Crossing being transformed into a sea of red and white shirts and scarfs come matchdays," he said."It will be a real sight to behold." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Jobe Bellingham follows Jude with £27.5m Borussia Dortmund move
Jobe Bellingham has completed his transfer from Sunderland to Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of about £27.5million to follow in the career path of his big brother Jude. The 19-year-old has become the second most expensive player in Dortmund's history, second only to the £30million they paid for Ousmane Dembélé in 2016. It is also more than the £25million they paid Birmingham City for a 17-year-old Jude in 2020. Jobe has also become the most expensive player sold by Sunderland, the club he joined from Birmingham in 2023 for a fee of £3million. Birmingham are also thought to be in line to receive a 15 per cent sell-on fee. Sunderland have included the same sell-on clause should Jobe leave Signal Iduna Park. There is also the possibility of the initial fee rising, with £3.5million in potential add-ons. Bellingham played 90 times for Sunderland and was a key figure in the side that got the club promoted in dramatic style in the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United last month, which they won in the game's final minute of injury-time. He has played in various positions, with the Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris admitting recently that he thinks his best position may ultimately be as a holding midfielder. Bellingham scored 11 times in his two years at Sunderland and his move to Dortmund has been expected throughout the latter stages of this season. However, there was interest from Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig. Bellingham was shown around Eintracht Frankfurt's facilities by officials before flying off to Ibiza with his brother. Dortmund's sporting director Sebastian Kohl flew to the Balearic island to meet Jobe. He was told that the player still intended to sign for Dortmund, who finished the season strongly enough to qualify for the Champions League. It is unknown whether Dortmund will call Bellingham into their squad for the Club World Cup and take him out of Lee Carsley's England Under-21 squad. Sunderland have already announced the signing of Enzo Le Fée from Roma for a fee that could rise to £20million. They have also sold Tommy Watson to Brighton for £10million. Bournemouth could lose both starting centre backs as PSG chase £50m Zabarnyi Paris Saint-Germain have opened talks with several centre backs including Illia Zabarnyi, of Bournemouth. The south coast club have priced the 22-year-old at more than £50million, more than double the fee they paid Dynamo Kyiv when he joined for £24million in January 2023. Zabarnyi's contract does not have the type of release clause which allowed his defensive partner Dean Huijsen to join Real Madrid for £50million last month. PSG have also held talks with the representatives of Kim Min-jae, the South Korea defender who can leave Bayern Munich for about £42million. Mario Gila, of Lazio, is another option being considered by PSG. Brighton bid £34million for Olympiacos teenager Brighton & Hove Albion have bid £34million for Charalampos Kostoulas, the 18-year-old forward who scored six league goals for Olympiacos this season. Brighton are expected to have to pay close to £40million, matching the fee they paid for Georginio Rutter from Leeds United last summer. His arrival is expected to lead to the sale of João Pedro, who is keen to leave and is linked with Newcastle United among other clubs.
Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Jobe Bellingham and play-off hero leaving but no spoiling Sunderland party
At the bottom of the northwest ramp of Wembley Stadium, hidden well away from the public eye, a team bus with a giant black cat and the prophetic words 'Til The End' painted on its side sat patiently, engine running, waiting. It was quarter-to-eight on Saturday night and the Sky Bet Championship play-off squad it had dropped off earlier in the day were climbing back up its steps as Premier League players. They carried with them crates of ale, large magnums of champagne and absolute joy. The spectacle of a celebration in front of 36,500 Sunderland supporters had been replaced with something far more intimate — hugs with friends after achieving something very special. Two elements stood out even amid the delirium and the huge, booming party-box speaker that Trai Hume carried with Oasis's Wonderwall blasting out; Sunderland collectively looked both exhausted and surprised to have reached the Premier League. Kristjaan Speakman, the director of football who had masterminded promotion with a squad that cost only £17.5million, wore the tracksuit top of Jobe Bellingham, with the player's first name emblazoned on the back. He looked almost euphoric. Régis Le Bris, the Sunderland head coach, was back in his preferred tracksuit, having created a piece of history in a suit. 'Probably I spend time in France because I stay 11 months here without moving,' he said of his summer plans. 'So let's spend time with family and friends, relax, and enjoy and be prepared for the next season.' He looked shattered. It was 48 hours before the play-off final against Sheffield United that ended with another dramatic, late Sunderland winning goal — this time through Tommy Watson, now no longer even a Sunderland player — that Le Bris said: 'When you have your opportunity, it is important to catch it.' It sounded so much more poetic in a French accent, profound even. It was just that having caught their butterfly in such dramatic and unexpected fashion — Sunderland finished 16th in 2023-24 — there was no collective desire to open up their hands and look at what they had actually got hold of. If it was a day for footballing romantics — the youngest team in the division had just defeated a team with parachute payments. The maths and planning could wait, although they will not wait for long. One of Le Bris' favoured and repeated phrases is about the connections inside his team and inside the club. He reiterated that when asked if the club is ready for the Premier League. 'I think Sunderland is still building their structure and we have to make another step, an important step, to prepare the squad for the Premier League but we will see in a few days,' he said. Can the club make the step, he was asked. 'I hope so, I hope so,' the 49-year-old manager said. 'We need to remember that the connection between players is more important than the talent of one player. Sometimes we forget it's a collective sport and a collective effort. The main point is the way we work together.' Yet despite the tiredness and the desire to party as they descended from that same team bus at the Renaissance Hotel in St Pancras with it still light on Saturday evening, the change had already started. Enzo Le Fée is a Sunderland player in all but announcement, his transfer having been triggered in the immediacy of promotion. The £20million fee — which is what the 25-year-old French midfielder would cost if all add-ons are triggered — is more the rest of the squad put together cost. The most Sunderland had previously spent on a player since their relegation from the Premier league in 2016-17 was the £3million they paid for Will Grigg at the start of 2019. So, regardless of a collective desire to enjoy the moment, the change had started. Watson, the 19-year-old local lad jeered in April and cheered in May, had become a Brighton & Hove Albion player in a deal agreed nearly two months ago for £10million. One out and one in, and that will be the way once the plan to try to keep Sunderland in the Premier League is finalised and activated. The 'Jobe' tracksuit worn by Speakman felt significant too. Speakman has been at the heart of both Bellingham careers, having previously worked as the academy manager at Birmingham City from 2011 when Jude was making his way. It is not thought that promotion will alter the career plan of the 19-year-old Jobe, with Borussia Dortmund still likely to be his new home when Sunderland kick off as a Premier League club in less than 12 weeks' time. 'I take a lot of pride in saying that I am one of the players who has helped this great club get back to where it belongs,' he said. It would be out of kilter with everything Sunderland have done since Kyril Louis-Dreyfus became the majority owner in May 2023 to expect a transfer window spree to match that of Southampton last summer, who also went up via the play-offs and had a gross spend of £103million, and still ended up relegated earlier in the season than any other club previously in the history of the Premier League, with seven games remaining. Anthony Patterson, the Sunderland goalkeeper who made a crucial save from Andre Brooks when Sheffield United had already taken the lead through Tyrese Campbell's first-half goal, believes the club can end the trend of the previous six clubs promoted from the Championship over the past two seasons, who were all immediately relegated. 'The quality you saw out there was really good,' Patterson, 25, said. 'We have unreal amounts of quality to see what we can do in the Premier League and the togetherness we have as a group is incredible. 'It's going to be an incredible season. We'll be coming up against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Man U and Man City. It will be surreal.' It felt surreal all right, after the equaliser from Eliezer Mayenda and the 95th-minute winner from Watson, as grinning players stepped on to a team bus blasting with music. ''Til the End' has proved a marketing masterstroke, but now it is about a beginning, one of the biggest in Sunderland's history.
