Regis Le Bris focused on making sure Sunderland take their chance to step up | OneFootball

Regis Le Bris will not allow the prospect of Premier League riches to distract him as he attempts to guide Sunderland back into the big time.

The 49-year-old Frenchman, who arrived at the Stadium of Light last summer after suffering relegation from Ligue 1 with Lorient, stands on the brink of a promotion which some experts suggest could net his club up to £220million.

However while acknowledging the potential financial impact of ending the Black Cats’ eight-year exile from the top flight, Le Bris insists all he can concentrate on is what happens on the pitch against Sheffield United in Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley.

He said: “I know the details, but I can’t focus on it because my only focus is the game. After that, we’ll have consequences, positive or negative.

“It will be positive because even if we are not promoted at the end of the season, we can feel that the club is growing again and we have good signs for the future.”

Sunderland’s rise under Le Bris has been little short of remarkable.

The club’s slide into League One, where they spent four seasons, resulted in tough financial decisions. However, astute recruitment and a conveyor belt of Academy graduates has provided the current head coach with a team which includes the likes of Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and Brighton-bound Tommy Watson, who have all attracted the attention of prospective buyers.

Asked if promotion to the Premier League and the money that would bring might help him to keep his team together longer than he might otherwise be able to, Le Bris said with a smile: “I don’t know really because I’m not the owner. But probably it can help.”

Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will hope he has those decisions to make following the final whistle at Wembley firm in the knowledge that next season’s Championship may be even more competitive with the wealth of Birmingham and Wrexham arriving from League One.

Le Bris said: “When you have your opportunity, it’s important to catch it because we don’t know the future. It’s difficult to anticipate the future, so stay connected now with the opportunity and try your best.”

Whatever happens beneath the famous arch, Le Bris is confident he will be a better coach than he was at the start of the campaign for what he has been through since, just as he believes he was 12 months ago in the wake of Lorient’s relegation.

He said: “This experience was tough. When you get relegated at the end of the season and you suffer during the whole season, it’s tough for the club, the squad, the coach and for the staff.

“But at the same time, it was really useful because you learn in these circumstances. At the end of the season, I thought I was a better coach even if the outcome was really negative, so it was useful for this reason.”

Asked if the same would apply this time around, he said: “Probably, yes. I hope so.”