At Sunderland, there is a "fighting spirit" that will propel Regis Le Bris' squad through their second season in the Premier League. So says Chris Rigg, talking after Hull City were defeated in the third round of the Carabao Cup this week.

It would be wrong to say there has been a sense of unease stepping into the 2026/27 campaign, but Sunderland's excitement at having qualified for the Europa League after last year's heroics has been tempered somewhat by a difficult summer transfer window that has paled, from a numbers perspective, in comparison to one year back.

Still. Le Bris has been pragmatic, taking steady steps forward. Last season, the Black Cats might have finished seventh, but they left a lot to be desired in terms of their attacking output.

How Le Bris is strengthening Sunderland's frontline

Last season, Sunderland failed to create chances and convert them with the regularity and incisiveness that might be expected of a European outfit. That is what this club is, now awaiting a continental adventure.

You'll never see a Mackem in Milan. Is that right? But Sunderland did enter the summer window aware that they needed to bolster up top. Last season, they struggled to score as much as they might have liked.

Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor are physical strikers. Efficient within the system Le Bris has wrought. But neither, as things stand, will lash home 20 goals across a campaign on Wearside. They are not clinical enough nor supported by enough creativity.

However, there have been signs of progress at the early stage of this new season. Last term, Sunderland averaged 1.02 xG (expected goals) per game. After three matches, their average sits at 1.46 - a promising, albeit premature, upswing.

Even Chemsdine Talbi is getting involved. The mercurial winger looked set to leave the Stadium of Light and move to the Saudi Pro League, but Le Bris wants him to stay. He scored against Hull with the most delightful of dinks, wheeling away in muted celebration which, perhaps, reflected his consternation over recent career uncertainties.

It's a good thing the Moroccan is sticking around. Sunderland need an exciting attacker of his ability and potential. Last year, show-stoppers were in short supply, and it's been a struggle to find thrilling players of the brand of Jobe Bellingham and Amad Diallo, for example.

In regard to Amad: the Ivorian winger was actually considered by the Dreyfuss hierarchy this summer - but nothing doing. Now, though, Director of Football Florent Ghisolfi looks to have signed the second coming of that seat-raising star.

How Sunderland have signed the new Amad

For Sunderland, Amad's impact was short but sweet. They reached the play-off semi-finals in the Championship, defeated by Luton Town, but the seeds had been planted for Le Bris to nurture later on, guiding the Black Cats back into the big time.

Amad is now a valued member of the Manchester United side who previously sent him out on a series of loan moves. He's not coming back, but in Malick Fofana, the Wearsiders might just have signed their new version.

After some deadline-day shenanigans, Fofana ended up picking Sunderland over Crystal Palace and signing for the club from Lyon in a deal worth up to £30m.

Fofana, 21, earned his first start against Hull. He started and showed flashes of promise in a largely unassuming display. But you can certainly see the "game-changing potential" that journalist Antonio Mango has axed lyrical over in the past.

Fofana, a left-sided winger, made his bow as a substitute against Brentford last weekend, and he is now looking to build on a breakout campaign with Lyon in 2024/25 that saw him post five goals and four assists across 16 appearances.

Crisp and accurate in the duel, the Belgium international is fast but economical with his pace. This is not a relentless runner, but in that, he shares something with Amad.

Amad was a force to be reckoned with in the Championship, his natural eye for goal mirrored by Fofana. Looking at the United star's performances in the Premier League last year, we can also see that he too picks and chooses his moments to surge forward, averaging 1.2 dribbles per game.

Fofana will take time to grow into the prospect who caused such a furore when breaking onto the scene in Ligue 1. Last year, his progress was disrupted by injury, but he has pace and power and potency in his locker, and the potential to add a dimension at Sunderland was was totally absent last year.

Is he as good as Amad? He might even come to outstrip the Ivorian, with a natural skill in the final third that will only raise the ceiling at the Stadium of Light if effectively utilised.