We are 10 games in since the commencement of the Premier League 2025/26 season and there have been quite a few surprises so far.
Arsenal currently sit on top of the table with 25 points, followed by Manchester City with 19 points in 2nd. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest, who finished 7th in the league standings of the 2024/25 season, now see themselves surviving relegation with just 6 points in 10 games and they have already had 3 managers so far in this season.
The same context can be applied for West Ham too, who finished 14th in the league standings last season with 43 points but now sit 18th in the table with just 7 points in 10 games.
The promoted teams this season (Burnley, Leeds & Sunderland) have already taken more points than the promoted teams from last season (Ipswich Town, Leicester City & Southampton) and we are just 10 games in!
But that is not everything.
In a time where the promoted teams, more often than not, on many occasions, see themselves to survive in the Premier League and when they don’t, get relegated as a result, Sunderland so far have done exactly the opposite. They currently sit 4th in the table with 18 points, more than Manchester United and Chelsea, and level with Liverpool.
It has been a fantastic start for the Black Cats after 9 seasons after their return to the Premier League. They have taken more points at this stage than any other promoted teams in the last 3 seasons. They are also just 6 points short of their total points tally from their last season in the Premier League already (24), which saw them get relegated back in the 2016/17 season.
The Black Cats had a wonderful 2025 summer transfer window too, bringing in some notable names like Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele, Brian Brobbey, Lutsharel Geertruida, Simon Adingra, etc.
Last week, Sunderland’s owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus, when speaking to Sky Sports, said that, his team are targeting a top 10 finish this Premier League season. Regis Le Bris and his boys would surely be hoping that they have a chance to create something special.
🚨Sunderland owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus says his club are targeting a top 10 Premier League finish:
— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) November 3, 2025
🗣️ “The stats showed that unless we do anything extraordinary (in the transfer window) we go back to down to The Championship.
🗣️ And fortunately we were able to conclude many of… pic.twitter.com/UKWxpOiGLh
Now, this brings us to the real question:
How many times have Sunderland finished in the top 10 of the Premier League?
If we look just at Sunderland’s Premier League campaign over the years, since the introduction of “Premier League” in 1992, their points have been pretty limited.
Since 1992, they have managed to finish inside the top ten only three times.
After being promoted via the Championship in 1999, Sunderland made a sensational return to the Premier League.
They memorably finished 7th in 1999-2000. Under manager Peter Reid, they played exciting football and had strong results throughout. Their striker Kevin Phillips scored 30 league goals, earning him not only the Premier League Golden Boot, but also the European Golden Shoe — a remarkable achievement. It included notable wins, including a big home win over Chelsea and a win away at rivals, Newcastle United in the Tyne-Wear derby. That season marked the first time Sunderland had placed themselves in the top-half of the Premier League in that era, giving their fans a huge hope.
They repeated the 7th spot again in 2000-01 season. Once again under Peter Reid, Sunderland briefly found themselves as high as second place in the table in February of that season, showing that they could compete with the bigger clubs. Kevin Phillips continued to play a vital role, though his goal tally dropped compared to the previous year. Sunderland had a great start with a good roster, but they couldn’t keep up with the very best and ended up just outside the spots that would have qualified them for Europe. It was good that they finished seventh again, but maybe they could have done better based on how they had started the season.
After the highs of the early 2000s, and some turbulent seasons in between, Sunderland returned to the Premier League in 2010. That season, 2010-11, they achieved 10th place in the Premier League under Steve Bruce. Sunderland had a solid season with key contributions from players like Asamoah Gyan (top league scorer for the club that season) and Jordan Henderson (present day Brentford player and ex-Liverpool midfielder) in his early years. Their average attendance was strong, showing that the supporters were engaged despite the club not being in the European-push conversation. This finish represented their best top-flight placing in a decade, but there was a drop‐off from the earlier seventh-place seasons.
Since then, their trend has been primarily downhill, including numerous relegations and a return to Championship, the second tier of English football.
Sunderland’s current identity has consequently transformed – from a former heavyweight of English football, to a club seeking to re-establish top-flight stability.
And, this time, they would just hope that it becomes a reality for seasons to come.
Although, Sunderland have no Premier League titles and only three top ten finishes, their history, culture, and potential make them a club that always believes the next era of success is possible.
