'Knows what he's doing' - Joey Barton predicted Sunderland rise under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus

Sunderland certainly have a feel of a club that is on the up at the moment, and it was foretold by old foe Joey Barton.

Barton was a player at Marseille when the club was owned by the Louis-Dreyfus family, giving him a real insight into how they liked to run things.

Shortly before Kyril Louis-Dreyfus completed his takeover of Sunderland, Barton was in the opposing dugout for a League One game at the Stadium of Light.

He spoke to Sunderland’s staff after the game and was keen to learn about the takeover, as well as making a prediction of his own.

"The new owner Kyril, has come in, you obviously look at his age and maybe think young lad he's coming in here to play Championship Manager,” Andrew Taylor, who was on the Sunderland coaching staff at the time told the Underthecosh Podcast in May 2021.

"He's not. He's proper switched on. Just before the manager got sacked we played Fleetwood away and Joey Barton come in - there was rumours of the takeover then.

"It was his dad [Robert Louis-Dreyfus] who had an input at Marseille and obviously Joey Barton was at Marseille.

"He was asking us if we'd met them yet and if they'd took over, we said not yet.

"Joey said they're a proper family who know what they're doing. We had a bit of background information and thought we'd be alright."

Louis-Dreyfus completed his takeover shortly afterwards, and Taylor said he started putting his own stamp on the place immediately, and there was one thing in particularly he demanded from the club: pride.

“He wants to be proud of the club he owns,” taylor said. “He's only been in a few weeks or month or whatever, but there's already things happening around the training ground, cosmetic things like making it tidy.

"It makes a massive difference, everyone starts going 'oh he's taking care of his club,' there's a bit of pride in it. He wants to do it properly."

Read more Sunderland coverage

• Ten players you probably forgot played for Sunderland in League One
• Isaac Lihadji: 'Sunderland inspire young players to improve their level'
• Sunderland youngster targeting Premier League after confidence-boosting season
• Former Sunderland man quits role amid US soccer World Cup blackmail scandal
• STAT: Sunderland now have TWO recent Golden Boy nominees in their squad
• 'Rangers would be a step up for Ross Stewart,' says former Sunderland man