Sunderland fans rate Jobe Bellingham as the Black Cats' most exciting signing so far - and this weekend could be their first chance to see him in red and white. Former Birmingham City midfielder Bellingham - younger brother of England and Real Madrid star Jude - is one of four new faces to have arrived on Wearside over the summer, along with Portuguese striker Luis Semedo, Australian defender Nectarios Triantis, and Dutch defender Jenson Seelt.
And according to our ChronicleLive poll, it is Bellingham that Sunderland fans are most excited about. Asked which of the new signings excites you most, 44 percent of those who responded said Bellingham, with Semedo second with 36 percent.
Unsurprisingly given the natural bias towards more attacking players, it was the defensive duo of Triantis and Seelt who brought up the rear with nine percent and four percent respectively. And seven percent of respondents were not excited by any of the new arrivals and are presumably waiting for more recruits to arrive before the transfer window closes.
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But the poll also showed that, overally, Sunderland fans feel positive about the signings so far. Asked for their reaction, 63 percent said they were 'optimistic' about the new arrivals, and 27 percent were 'delighted'.
Six percent were 'nervous', while just four percent were 'disappointed'. Some or all of Sunderland's new signings are likely to be in action tomorrow when the Black Cats play their first pre-season friendlies.
They take on Julio Arca's South Shields at the 1st Cloud Arena at 12.30pm, before heading to the International Stadium to face Gateshead at 4pm.
