Sunderland have dared to be different in bold transfer window

Who'd have imagined Granit Xhaka would end up wearing the shirt and the armband, that as many as 14 new signings would arrive and that one of the most highly-rated directors of football would swap Serie A giants for the Stadium of Light?

Not for the first time, Sunderland have dared to be different. They've been bold with their spending, the profile of the players they've brought in and their ruthlessness in replacing some of the stars from last season's promotion.

The arrival of Florent Ghisolfi showed showed an impressive awareness. Sunderland's 'model' has worked but there was an acknowledgement that they had to continue to adapt. Kristjaan Speakman himself admitted Sunderland wouldn't have been able to make some of the signings they did this summer had they not first recruited Ghisolfi.

Will it work? Time will tell. But nobody can accuse Sunderland of not having a go.

And while it's still remarkably early days, far too early to draw conclusions, the early signs are encouraging. By the end of August, Sunderland were halfway to reaching the feeble points tally achieved by Southampton in the entirety of last season. The Black Cats are already more than a quarter of the way to beating Ipswich's tally.

Of course, that is not a barometer of success. Regis Le Bris' side need to go beyond 30 points this season and target 40 if they're to ensure their stay in the top flight isn't limited to a single season.

But what has been crystal clear throughout the summer and the early weeks of the season is that Sunderland won't settle on what has already been achieved.

That doesn't mean questions don't remain unanswered.

Integral for Sunderland last season was the dressing room unity that fuelled their unlikely promotion. Can Le Bris maintain that togetherness on the back of such an overhaul and with key figures from last season now fringe figures on the pitch?

How will Sunderland and their new-look squad adapt to the setbacks and inevitable stretches of games without victory?

And how will the Black Cats cope without as many as seven first team regulars when the African Cup of Nations starts in December?

But Le Bris demonstrated on several occasions last season that he is ruthless. And for all there's a sadness about seeing players like Patrick Roberts move on, Dan Neil lose the armband, Anthony Patterson the gloves and Dennis Cirkin, perhaps, a regular starting place at left-back, it's also worth remembering Sunderland finished fourth last season in the Championship and 24 points behind the top two.

Sunderland's play-off story was remarkable and memorable but over the course of the season they were nowhere near as strong as Leeds and Burnley, who themselves are deemed by many nowhere near strong enough to survive this season.

So it shouldn't really come as a surprise that Le Bris - who has so often talked about the step-up in class from the second tier to the first - felt improvement was required across the pitch.

That doesn't mean that the likes of Neil, Cirkin and Chris Rigg won't play key roles this season. And that doesn't mean the deadline day loan departure of Roberts wasn't sad. Roberts got his career back on track at Sunderland, he found a home at Sunderland and he was a double promotion hero at Sunderland. The Black Cats wouldn't be where they are now without the former Manchester City youngster, so there's inevitable regret that he won't get the chance to play his part this season.

But memories in football are incredibly powerful and Hillsborough and Wembley, where Roberts played through the pain of a torn calf, won't be forgotten.

And what remains at Sunderland...actually, no, what is stronger than ever is the feel-good factor in the city and around the club. Momentum has continued to build since May.

The Stadium of Light is special for Sunderland and daunting for opponents. That's the way it has to be. It's already evident home form will go a long way to deciding whether the Black Cats will spend next summer looking to kick-on again or bounce back from a drop into the second tier.

Who will turn out to be the most important signing? Xhaka for his experience and leadership, perhaps? Noah Sadiki or Habib Diarra for their midfield energy? Robin Roefs has made a hugely impressive start, so too Omar Alderete.

Equally as integral, however, will be some of the key figures from last season. Eliezer Mayenda is at home at this level, as is Dan Ballard and Trai Hume.

And so too is Regis Le Bris. He won't be overawed, and while there's so much understandable focus on the new faces on the pitch, the man in the dugout may well again turn out to be Sunderland's star of the season.