Juan Sartori was back at the Stadium of Light on Saturday for Sunderland's opening game of the season, with Stewart Donald revealing in the match day programme that discussions over investment in the club were ongoing.
Sartori is a minor shareholder at the club after coming on board last season and initially showing a lot of keenness. Initially plans had been for the businessman to invest more heavily in the club the further they went up the leagues, with his fortune far more than that of principle Black Cats owner Stewart Donald.
However, midway through last term Sartori announced his decision to run for the presidency in Uruguay and his visits to the UK for Sunderland games became less frequent.
Although he did attend the play-off final, Donald had decided for the club's future to start discussing fresh investment, with new Falkirk owner Mark Campbell the most notable who had held talks.
But during the close season, Sartori found out that he would not be the next president of his country, and was interestingly back at the Stadium of Light on the opening day.
As well as in the fan zone ahead of kick-off, he was also pitch-side, before making his way up to the directors' box to watch the action unfold.
And while Jack Ross' side could only manage a disappointing draw against Oxford, it was encouraging to see Sartori look every bit as passionate as he was during the first few months after his initial arrival. Particularly in the latter stages, as Sunderland pressed for a winner, Sartori was animated in his seat, regularly up and down, kicking every ball and heading every cross.
His return could be good news for Sunderland, if it means the Uruguayan is ready to refocus his attention on the football club after his brief flirtation with politics in his homeland.
Last week in a Q&A with Wise Men Say Podcast, Donald had revealed that Sartori could become more involved in the club again.
He said: "Now he’s not going to be president, he’s back and quite vocal.
“Hopefully you’ll see some exciting developments soon which will involve Juan.”
And ahead of the first game of the season the Sunderland chairman offered another update on potential fresh investment in his programme notes.
Donald wrote: "Throughout the summer we had various conversations with multiple parties regarding the club's ownership, but what it ultimately came down to was whether the offers on the table would allow us to kick on.
"As a result, we didn't get very far, despite vast reports claiming otherwise, as when push came to shove, we didn't feel the club would be any better off than we are today.
"Conversations are continuing to take place, and I think we have some wonderfully exciting options to pursue in the coming weeks, but that is merely us being ahead of the game, and planning for a future beyond League One."
