Sunderland had a shocker with Didier Ndong

Sunderland have made an entire host of transfer blunders of their current historical past, with probably the most infamous being Jack Rodwell’s refusal to go away the membership regardless of his extortionate wages.

Nevertheless, maybe probably the most comical and expensive switch misstep was the choice to signal Didier Ndong for a club-record charge of £13.6m.

He had simply two seasons on the Stadium of Gentle, making 54 disappointing appearances and overseeing the relegation of the membership from the Premier League. This marked the start of their stoop, from which they’re only now recovering.

He was introduced in as a direct different for the popular Yann M’Vila, who starred on the membership on mortgage and was quoted as being “heartbroken” when a deal to maneuver to Wearside completely fell by.

To swap this out for a person mentioned to have an angle which makes him a “waste of space” – within the scathing phrases of Josh Bunting – is a big downgrade. From having somebody who fell in love with the membership to forking out on an obvious mercenary, it’s choices like these which clarify Sunderland’s fall from grace within the late 2010s.

Ndong’s efficiency throughout that relegation season was disappointing given the outlay on him, with a mean SofaScore ranking of 6.73.

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For a club-record signing, one would anticipate significantly extra. He additionally solely averaged 0.5 key passes per 90, making one error which led to a aim and likewise conceding a penalty.

He additionally earned £32k-per-week while on the Stadium of Gentle, additional exacerbating the quantity spent on the flop. This stays the best wage that he has been paid in his profession and takes the cash that the membership spent on the midfielder as much as an eye-watering £15.2m.

Ndong was on the membership for 112 depressing weeks and is probably indicative of the downfall of Sunderland from 2016 to this yr.

Now enjoying for Dijon in French Ligue 2, the Gabon worldwide ended his bleak tenure on the Black Cats with the termination of his contract after going AWOL. It was a becoming finish to a horrible stint on Wearside, and the beginning of their stoop down the soccer pyramid.