With 19 points from nine games, Sunderland leads the Championship table during the international break and has had a fantastic start to life under new manager Regis Le Bris.
August’s decisive 4-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday demonstrates the Black Cats’ outstanding football play thus far this season.
As demonstrated by their recent 1-0 victories over North East rivals Middlesbrough and fellow promotion contender Burnley, Le Bris’ team can also dig deep and come out on top in hard-fought matches.
With 18 goals this season—more than any other side in the second division—the Black Cats’ most impressive attribute is their ability to score goals.
Summertime signing With two goals in six Championship games, Wilson Isidor, who was loaned from Zenit St Petersburg of the Russian Premier League, has aided his new team’s efforts in the final third.
| Wilson Isidor 2024/25 Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 6 |
| Starts | 3 |
| Minutes played | 286 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 0 |
Isidor could prove to be a Ross Stewart replacement
Ross Stewart, a former Black Cats star and striker, left the Stadium of Light to join Southampton in the summer of 2023, and the Wearsiders definitely missed his goal-scoring contributions from the previous season.
Even though winger Jack Clarke, who is currently at Premier League new boys Ipswich Town, scored 15 Championship goals for the Mackems the previous season, the Stadium of Light team struggled to function without Stewart as the center of their attack.
The Scotland international scored 10 goals and provided three assists in just 13 Championship games during the 2022–2023 season, which saw the Black Cats secure a play-off spot. In the 2021–2022 season, he led his team to promotion from League One to the second division with 24 league goals.
But when Stewart left, Nazariy Rusyn, who only managed two goals in 22 games, was the team’s top striker in the Championship the previous season.
However, Isidor’s recent play may indicate that the Black Cats have finally found a substitute for Stewart because the 24-year-old seems to have a clear eye for goal.
As Le Bris’ team lost 2-1 to sixth-place Watford in the Championship, Isidor actually scored his first goal for Sunderland on his very first start for the team.
Thus, his goal against the Hornets also demonstrates his ability to deliver results even when his team isn’t playing at their best, which could be crucial later in the season.
Isidor has now scored twice in his previous three Championship games after going on to score during a 2-0 victory over Derby County.
Additionally, if his new striker maintains his impressive run of play, Le Bris may be eager to pursue the Black Cats’ option to make Isidor’s move to the Stadium of Light permanent next summer.
The Frenchman will have successfully followed in Stewart’s footsteps as a striker who can propel the North East team to promotion if he can produce the goals that propel the Black Cats to their much anticipated Premier League comeback.
The Mackems will be keen for this result, in part because they might not need to look for a new forward in the transfer market the following summer if Isidor can duplicate Stewart’s prior success.
The Black Cats need to aim for a stronger start after the international break.
Sunderland was the only team in the EFL with a perfect record going into the September international break, but they lost 3-2 to a struggling Plymouth Argyle team when they returned to Championship action.
The Black Cats will need to perform better than that when they play Hull City next Sunday after the October international break, since they lead second-place Sheffield United by a slim margin on goal differential alone.
Isidor might motivate Le Bris’ team to win at MKM Stadium and show that he is a viable long-term option for the Black Cats.
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