And the Black Cats boss insists Sunderland’s future is bright regardless of the outcome at Wembley.
Beat Sheffield United and Sunderland will not only be financially transformed by the riches of the top flight, they’ll also be in a much stronger position when it comes to keeping their star assets, such as Jobe Bellingham, who continues to be linked with a summer move to Borussia Dortmund.
Le Bris acknowledges the financial importance of winning promotion but it hasn’t been anywhere near the forefront of his thoughts as he’s prepared his players to face the Blades.
“I know the details, but I can’t focus on it because my only focus is the game,” he said.
“After that we’ll have consequences, positive or negative.
“It will be positive because even if we are not promoted at the end of the season, we can feel that the club is growing again and we have good signs for the future.”
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Should Sunderland suffer the heartbreak of Wembley defeat, they’ll inevitably have to deal with a tough summer of fighting to keep hold of their stars.
As well as Bellingham, the likes of Chris Rigg, Dan Neil, Dan Ballard and Trai Hume all have top flight admirers.
And as much as Le Bris doesn’t concern himself with potential ins and outs on a daily basis, he admits going up will make life a lot more difficult when it comes to retaining stars.
“I don’t know really because I’m not the owner, but it can probably help,” he said.
The three sides who finished above Sunderland in the Championship this season were all aided by Premier League parachute payments. But next season’s battle for promotion from the second tier is likely to be more competitive, for not only will the three sides coming down inevitably be strong, Wrexham and Birmingham both have big ambitions and financial might after coming up from League One.
“When you have your opportunity, it’s important to catch it because we don’t know the future,” said Le Bris.
“It’s difficult to anticipate the future, so you need to stay connected now with the opportunity and try your best.”
Asked what it would mean to become a manager in the Premier League, Le Bris said: “I don’t know. We’ll see later because I repeat for me I’m not focused on the future.
“It’s really important for my job as a manager to stay focused on the here and now. The next situation after that, we’ll see. We know this job is really unstable. We can be high and then low one day later. You just have to enjoy the moment, try your best and see after that.”
Sunderland are the underdogs against Sheffield United, who finished 14 points above the Black Cats in the Championship table.
But the Blades need to their play-off hoodoo, with nine previous campaigns – including three Championship finals – having ended in defeat.
Boss Chris Wilder says his side are in good shape to finish the job and earn an instant return to the Premier League.
“We haven’t had to manage the players at all,” said Wilder.
“They’re focused. We’re always looking and getting the feel right. I know it’s been said by a lot of people, but there’s a load of energy around this football club at the moment and we have to take that into Saturday.
“Physically, we’re in a great place from an availability point of view. Tactically, we’ve got to find a way to get the job done, to execute the game plan. Technically, we’ve got really good players, that’s the good thing about it.
“I’ve got a real good group of players, who can produce big moments. Who can keep clean sheets, who can play on the big stage and in the big occasions.”
Wilder wants to win promotion in memory of former player George Baldock.
The right-back, who played 219 times in seven years for the Blades before being released at the end of last season, tragically died in October, aged 31.
“Every club has got their own stories,” said Wilder.
“This is a story that’s not fabricated, it’s not false. This is somebody that was an incredibly popular player for the football club, who some of the players that are still with us played with and lived nine or 10 months of their lives with.”
