Sunderland didn’t blow teams away with their attacking numbers last season. Their total of 58 league goals in 2024/25 was beaten by eight other Championship teams — and they were 24 points off the automatic promotion places. In short, they’re not coming up with the attacking pedigree of Leeds or even Burnley.
However, some context is needed. After securing a play-off spot, new boss Régis Le Bris rotated heavily to protect key players, and Sunderland scored just once in their final five regular-season matches as a result. That lull skews the overall stats.
And crucially, Le Bris moulded Sunderland into one of the most effective counter-attacking sides in the league. That low-block-breakaway style may actually be more suited to the Premier League than many expect.
They’ve lost Jobe Bellingham and Tom Watson, but with £50m already spent on Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki, they’re clearly planning to invest. And the start couldn’t be better, so we’ve dived into the Opta-powered heatmaps tool from our Preseason Pack (just £1!) to explore whether any Sunderland attackers are worth backing.
Sunderland top our Fixture Planner for attacking potential in the first three Gameweeks — ahead of promoted rivals Leeds and Burnley that we've analysed in previous articles.
That means now is the time to dig into their attacking options and assess if there's a hidden gem or a possible budget enabler for your Gameweek 1 squad.
Mayenda is arguably the most exciting FPL prospect at Sunderland. The 20-year-old hit 10 goals and provided five assists in the league last season, with a particularly strong finish — including two goals in the play-offs, one of which was a Wembley equaliser in the final.
His Opta Heatmap reveals a player comfortable drifting across the front line — capable of playing as a striker, No. 10, or wide forward. With elite-level pace and improving end product, he looks the most likely Sunderland attacker to make the step up.
Wilson Isidor, who joined Sunderland from Zenit St Petersburg in the summer of 2024, enjoyed a strong start to life in the Championship, scoring 12 of his 13 goals before mid-February. However, he suffered a goal drought to end the season and was left out of the starting XI for the play-off final, raising doubts about his place in the pecking order under Le Bris.
From a statistical standpoint, Isidor underperformed his xG of 16.31, suggesting he was getting into decent positions but struggling to finish. Still, his per-90 goal threat numbers — including total shots, shots on target and shots in the box — edge out those of teammate Eliezer Mayenda.
That said, when you broaden the comparison, Mayenda comes out on top in other key areas. Per 90 minutes, the 20-year-old Spaniard beats Isidor for assists, expected assists, attempted assists and big chances created, as shown in the Opta Heatmaps comparison tool.
While both players are predicted to come in at a similar FPL price, Mayenda’s strong end to the season and positional versatility — able to play as a striker, wide forward, or No. 10 — arguably makes him the more appealing pick for FPL managers.
As ever, keep a close eye on pre-season line-ups to see who nails down a starting spot.
Signed permanently for £19m after a loan from Roma, Le Fée was a creative force in the middle — providing key assists in both legs of the play-off semi-final.
While he spent time on the left due to injuries, he's expected to feature centrally under Le Bris in the Premier League. Despite his technical quality, Le Fée’s Opta stats over 1,273 minutes don’t scream FPL potential: limited goal threat and modest assist output.
Still, his central could elevate his potential, especially if he's priced at the lower end.
Mundle impressed early in the season before injury disrupted his progress, finishing with five goals and two assists in 18 starts.
His Opta Touchmap shows consistent touches in advanced areas on the left flank, and per-90 data suggests he's the more dangerous goal threat compared to Roberts.
If he stays fit, he could emerge as a handy budget option — especially if underpriced by FPL. However, our Algorithm is fairly bullish on his price.
Roberts’ numbers don’t always reflect his influence. He only produced two goals and four assists, but his ability to beat players and create space stood out.
According to our Opta Heatmap tool, he beats Mundle on chance creation per 90 minutes, but trails him for goals threat. However, if priced £0.5m cheaper (as our Algorithm predicts), he could be a viable rotation option on FPL benches — especially with those strong early fixtures.
Sunderland’s strong early fixtures might tempt managers into taking a punt, but there's a clear lack of proven Premier League output across their front line.
Mayenda stands out as the most dynamic option, and if he nails down the striker role, he could become a budget gem. Isidor is more of a wait-and-see, while Mundle and Roberts offer possible value at the lower end of the pricing scale.
For now, this feels like one for the watchlist — but don’t rule out an early wildcard pick emerging from this group.
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