Sunderland Boss Regis Le Bris Picks His Favourite Player After West Ham Win

Sunderland defeated West Ham convincingly with a 3-0 scoreline in the opening matchday of the 2025-26 Premier League.

The Black Cats responded magnificently to the challenge of returning to English football's top tier after an eight-year wait for their fans.

The goals came courtesy of Eliezer Mayenda (61'), Daniel Ballard (73') and Wilson Isidor (90+2'), but they weren't the only key players in securing the victory.

After the match, Regis Le Bris spoke to the press and highlighted the importance of one of the club's recent signings.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris picks his favourite player after West Ham win

Besides discussing his three goal scorers on the day, Le Bris also took the opportunity, for the BBC, to praise his new captain, Granit Xhaka (32).

The French coach stated that the team needed someone like the Swiss player to bring experience to the rest of the young players in his squad.

He is important to us, sets the tone, and I think we knew before that he could be a key factor in our squad.

We have many young players, and to make sure that everyone is working together, we need this kind of player.Regis Le Bris to BBC

Truth be told, Le Bris' decision to give Xhaka the captaincy from the very beginning doesn't come as a surprise. While Dan Neil does show leadership qualities, he's still very young and will need to learn how to perform at the highest level.

Sunderland's next Premier League challenge will take place on Saturday 23 August, when they visit Burnley at Turf Moor for the league's second matchday.

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