Sunderland have now switched their focus to summer signings, with Stadium of Light officials already working towards a deal with their Premier League rivals.
Le Bris praises ‘character’ against ‘monster’ Liverpool
Sunderland’s season in a nutshell is that, although Liverpool have been stagnant in recent months, the visiting Premier League champions handed them their first home defeat of the season.
It was far from a normal night for the Reds, too. Arne Slott’s side were forced to wait until just after the hour mark to take the lead through Virgil van Dijk’s header, trying to keep the likes of Brian Brobbey at bay.
Regis Le Bris, while no doubt disappointed that Sunderland’s home run ended, could only praise the “character” of the Sunderland team that faced an impressive Liverpool side that night.
The Frenchman told reporters: “I think we showed that tonight. It wasn’t easy for Liverpool to win here and that’s the most important thing for me.”
“We want to be brave, we want to be intense, we want to play hard and that was the case. After that, results are results and you can’t control everything.”
Sunderland set to sign star for £30m in transfer race with Newcastle
The Black Cats have a chance to one-up their rivals.
He continued: “We had three or four chances, but we probably didn’t create enough. The last pass, the last touch and the last decision today wasn’t very clean.
“It is what it is, again, four days after the Arsenal game, we had to play against a monster again and we showed great character and great identity, but it wasn’t enough.”
The Black Cats still have a lot of positives, and this loss won’t overshadow what was a great season. With survival at stake and perhaps more than that, they are even in a strong position to achieve some summer goals.
Sunderland are working on signing Tyrell Malasia
One of those targets is Tyrell Malasia. According to Sports Boom, Sunderland are currently working on a deal to sign Malasia at the end of the season, when his current contract with Manchester United expires.
The left-back has had a tumultuous period in recent years, making just three Premier League appearances in the past two seasons combined. If anyone needs a fresh start after such dire injury problems, it’s the Dutchman.
Tyrell Malasia injury history | days missed | Games missed |
|---|---|---|
23/24 – Knee injury | 500 | 70 |
21/22 – Hamstring injury | 13 | 1 |
21/22 – Light knock | 4 | 1 |
Malasia’s knee injury in the 2023-24 season has seen one of Man United’s most promising players sidelined, leaving him at a crossroads in his career that could lead to a move to Sunderland.
At 26 years old, he is still a player who can return to his best. He just needs time to do so. Amid interest from Sunderland, it is also worth noting that Malasia was described as an “outstanding player” by Man United legend Rio Ferdinand before his injury in 2022.
