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SUNDERLAND'S OWNER WILL PAY OUT A HUGE FEE IN BONUSES TO PLAYERS AND STAFF AFTER WINNING PROMOTION BACK TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE, ACCORDING TO REPORTS 17:00, 01 Jun 2025 Sunderland owner
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will have to pay a reported £7.75 million to his players after winning promotion to the Premier League. The Sun claims Dan Neil and Luke O'Nien, who finished top of
the appearance table for the Black Cats, will take home more than £500,000 each after winning the Championship play-off final. The bonus system is reportedly based on the number of games
played throughout the 2024/25 campaign under Regis Le Bris, who will also take home some of the pot. Each Sunderland player also received shares in the windfall. The report claims starters
received four per game, those who came off the subs bench received two, while unsused substitutes got one. Neil and O'Nien, who picked up a cruel injury just two minutes into the
Wembley finale against the Blades, made 48 out of 49 starts for the first-team and qualified for the highest reward. The majority of those who started at Wembley were mainstays in the
starting XI throughout the season, so will reportedly take home between £400,000 and £500,000. Article continues below The youngest of the squad, Chris Rigg, will reportedly take home a fee
in the region of £400,000 after playing his part in winning promotion. The figures are said to be before tax, which will be a major financial reward having ended the club's eight year
absence from the top flight. The report also claims the initial bonus for winning the division would have been a reported £8million, just a £250,000 difference going up via the play-offs.
The fee in question is said to be a much higher payout compared to clubs who have won promotion in recent years, with Charlton Athletic's bonuses paid from promotion from League One
just £750,000 on a similar pro-rata basis. Now, the focus will be on Sunderland establishing themselves as a top flight force once again. “It feels fantastic to have lived this moment with
our fans,” Black Cats head coach Le Bris said after the game. “I am really proud of the work we have done this season. “The players, the staff, and the people in the building have been
really connected and believed that it was possible. “In the end, the emotion and the feeling are really impressive. Article continues below “We are always focused on the present, and the
path - the journey - is something we live together. It had its ups and downs, so we are always focused on the next step. “In the next few days, we will realise what we have achieved
together."