Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris got a biomechanics doctorate and has Arsenal legend to thank

Regis Le Bris and Sunderland can jump up to second place in the Premier League table with a win over Everton on Monday night, underlining the incredible job that the French head coach has done since taking over. The 49-year-old headed to the Stadium of Light in June of last year, having mutually parted ways with Lorient following their relegation to Ligue 2.

Having signed a three-year deal, to some intrigue with few supporters aware of his brief time in coaching up until this point, Le Bris guided Sunderland to promotion and took them to the top flight after an eight-year absence.

Le Bris largely focused on youth coaching until he obtained a professional coaching licence in May 2022, 16 years before his doctorate in sport physiology and biomechanics from Rennes 2 University.

He presented a study on accelerometer-based running as his thesis, having graduated with a diplome universitaire (DU) in the mental training of high-level athletes from the same university in 2010.

But it was Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger who indirectly convinced him to become a coach, while at Monaco.

"I really liked Monaco under Arsene Wenger," Le Bris told The Sun last year. "I wasn't really a fan but when I was young I liked this team and his style.

"If a player, team or manager had a specific style, I liked analysing the way that they played, their personality... there was something different.

"It was new - with many young players and a proactive style of play. I was young, so it was difficult to assess the different elements involved in a game. But I think it was about emotional elements, which were different from other teams.

"You can see a football team and think, 'They are playing well' or, 'This is interesting'. But you don't really know why - it just makes you feel something different.

"As a player, I was interested in understanding the game because I probably didn't have the X factor technically or physically.

"When you have a specific talent then you just have to use it and be good on the pitch - but I was average everywhere.

"So I had to think how I could compete with stronger players, understand the game better and be connected with the other players to solve problems."

Arsenal and Le Bris were both on the same page regarding Wenger, with the Gunners hiring him in 1996, before he became one of the most iconic managers in both club and Premier League history.