LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Chairman of Sunderland reacts during the on March 14, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around England remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Sunderland drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest on Friday night in their latest pre-season friendly.
Phil Smith was reporting from the Pinatar Arena and takes you through the moments you may have missed below…
Sunderland’s travelling support rarely ceases to amaze but the Pinatar Arena made for a remarkable sight on Friday evening. Sunderland were playing Premier League opposition and yet the 3,500 capacity arena was almost entirely packed out with red-and-white supporters. The ‘Sunlun takeover’ song rang out once again and has rarely felt more appropriate. It was an amazing sight and another early reminder to new head coach Régis Le Bris about the size of the club he has taken on.
There were some nice surprises for those fans on the official club travel packages, too, as they were handed a free away shirt and a card signed by a player thanking them for their support
Board presence and transfer surprise
Sunderland’s key boardroom players are all out here in Spain and were all at the game. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is of course present but so too is his brother (who has a seat on the board) and fellow shareholder Juan Sartori. While the key focus of the trip is for Le Bris to fully embed his playing identity into the team, there’s plenty of significant talks going on off the pitch as alongside Kristjaan Speakman, the club’s key power brokers plot the way forward in the summer transfer window.
There was widespread surprise when a story broke midway through the first half that Caen striker Alexandre Mendy had chosen to join the club. While he’s undoubtedly a player of interest and has been in talks – and as such his preference is very significant – Sunderland are still weighing up their options and a deal is not thought to be imminent.
