2015–16 Sunderland A.F.C. season
The 2015–16 season is Sunderland's 137th season in existence, and their ninth consecutive season in the Premier League. Along with competing in the Premier League, the club also participated in the FA Cup and League Cup. The season covers the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016. On May 11 2016, Sunderland confirmed a tenth consecutive Premier League season with a 3–0 victory over Everton at the Stadium of Light. Simultaneously, the result confirmed the relegation of arch-rivals Newcastle.
Squad
First Team Squad
! style="background:#DD0000; color:white; text-align:center;"| Squad No.! style="background:#DD0000; color:white; text-align:center;"| Name
! style="background:#DD0000; color:white; text-align:center;"| Nationality
! style="background:#DD0000; color:white; text-align:center;"| Position
! style="background:#DD0000; color:white; text-align:center;"| Date of Birth
! style="background:#DD0000; color:white; text-align:center;"| Signed from
! colspan="6" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center;"| Goalkeepers
! colspan="7" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center;"| Defenders
! colspan="7" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center;"| Midfielders
! colspan="6" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center;"| Forwards
New contracts
| Player | Until | Source | ||
| 5 | Defender |  Wes Brown | June 2016 | |
| 6 | Midfielder | Lee Cattermole | June 2021 | |
| 41 | Midfielder | Duncan Watmore | June 2020 | |
| 13 | Goalkeeper | Jordan Pickford | June 2020 | |
| 39 | Midfielder | George Honeyman | June 2017 | |
| 46 | Midfielder |  Lynden Gooch | June 2019 |
Transfers and Loans
Transfers In
Total Spending: £39,750,000Loans In
Transfers Out
Total Received: £15,500,000Loans Out
Pre-season friendlies
On 26 May 2015, Sunderland announced two pre-season friendly against Darlington 1883 and Doncaster Rovers. On 5 June 2015, a tour of the United States and Canada was announced. On 23 June 2015, an exhibition match against Hannover 96 was announced to be played in Germany.Competitions
Overall
Overview
Premier League
League table
Results summary
Results by matchday
Matches
On 17 June 2015, the fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.Football League Cup
FA Cup
Statistics
Appearances and goals
Goalscorers
Clean Sheets
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total clean sheets are equal.Disciplinary record
Overall summary
Summary
| Games played | 40 |
| Games won | 10 |
| Games drawn | 11 |
| Games lost | 19 |
| Goals scored | 54 |
| Goals conceded | 70 |
| Goal difference | -16 |
| Clean sheets | 7 |
| Yellow cards | 52 |
| Red cards | 2 |
| Worst discipline | Billy Jones |
| Best result | 3–0 v. Newcastle United, 3-0 v. Everton |
| Worst result | 2–6 v. Everton |
| Most appearances | Yann M'Vila |
| Top scorer | Jermain Defoe |