Finance Guru: Sunderland in for 'quite a shock' in Europa League amid £100m transfer verdict
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Credit: Imago Sun 31 May 2026 12:00, UK Sunderland won’t know what has hit them in the Europa League, especially if they fail to do the right transfer business during the summer window.That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that the Black Cats simply must spend in order to compete in Europe next season.Regis Le Bris has done an incredible job at the Stadium of Light, taking his side to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League, having only won promotion from the Championship during the 2024-25 campaign.The main focus would have just been securing Premier League safety, spending £100million on transfers last summer, but the squad gelled almost immediately and rose further and further up the table.Sunderland have no choice but to splash the cash this summerThere are now debates around how much Le Bris could have to spend after taking Sunderland all the way to the Europa League, and some will be expecting similar figures from last summer.Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson, while unsure if another £100m could be spent by the Black Cats, expects a lot of business to be done ahead of trying to compete in the Europa League. MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES “I don’t know whether it’ll be £100m, but they will also need to spend because they’ll also need a bigger squad to deal with Thursday night football,” Borson said.Sunderland’s most expensive signingsTransfer feeHabib Diarra£27.3millionSimon Adingra£21.1millionEnzo Le Fee£20.6millionBrian Brobbey£17.3millionChemsdine Talbi£17.3million“They probably weren’t expecting it.
Even up until quite late in the season, I bet they didn’t really think that’s what was going to happen. And now they found themselves in a very competitive competition that they’re going to want to do well in.
There are so many games in the Europa and they’re likely not to go out early. “You just need a bigger squad, and if you want a bigger squad, you’re going to have to spend the money.