Leo Pearlman sends bold Sunderland message as club targets Premier League top ten

Resilience, leadership and belief

Pearlman hailed the mentality shift under head coach Régis Le Bris, contrasting it with the fragility that dogged previous Sunderland sides.

“What would, in past iterations, have been the start of a capitulation has become something entirely different under Régis Le Bris,” he said. “This team sees adversity and responds with steel, stomach and courage. This is a team that carries the spirit of our city — chest out, chin up, staring down the odds and saying, ‘Go on then, let’s see what you’ve got.’”

The director praised supporters for their unity during the Everton match, highlighting how the 47,000-strong crowd rallied when the Black Cats fell behind. “When we went 1-0 down, no one saw it as game over,” he noted. “Because this team doesn’t stop.”

Xhaka’s influence and the “baked-in” ambition

Captain Granit Xhaka received special mention for setting the dressing-room tone. “His leadership shone through again,” Pearlman wrote. “He sets the standard, demands the rest of the squad live up to it — and they willingly do so.”

Pearlman also pointed to owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ post-match remarks as evidence of clear ambition.

“There’s a clear thread running through the club, embodied by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus,” he said. “His post-match comments said it all — that a top-ten finish has been the goal from the start. That ambition was baked into every decision we made in the transfer market and beyond.”

The message was unusually open for a Premier League board member, but Pearlman framed it as central to Sunderland’s evolving identity — confident, forward-facing and unapologetically ambitious.

Looking ahead — Arsenal next

Sunderland sit fourth after ten matches, though Pearlman stressed that the position is “only the beginning” of a demanding season. His message ended on a light-hearted note ahead of the next challenge: Arsenal at the Stadium of Light, a fixture he joked about given his partner Ben Winston’s seat on the Gunners’ board.

“If we’re serious about winning the league then beating teams like Arsenal is essential,” he quipped, “if only to save me from the Monday-morning bragging rights.”

Pearlman closed with a declaration that summed up the mood on Wearside:

“We’re building something lasting — a club that leads, inspires and belongs where its fans have always been: at the very top.”