Rather than buying players to survive in the Premier League, Sunderland could now be targeting talent in order to boost their European chances.
Asked if their form will force a January rethink, Louis-Dreyfus said: "I would say definitely a little bit.
"Obviously if we would have been in the bottom three by Christmas or we are in the top six at Christmas, that changes the ambition a little bit. We are currently preparing for all scenarios.
“But we’ve been doing that since the summer. So hopefully we will be going into the January window with a top ten finish in mind and we will prepare and execute the transfer window to give us the best chance."
He added, "People talk a lot about Granit Xhaka but I think all of the other experienced players around, Reinildo and even the ones from the year before have played a vital role.
"I would say we have taken a little bit of a pragmatic view, but not going against our core beliefs. As you said there, the statistics showed us that unless you do something extraordinary you’re likely going to go back to the Championship."