Sunderland wasted millions on big-money flop who now plays in Iran

Having put through the wringer in recent memory, which saw Sunderland fall all the way down to League One, the Black Cats do now seem to be on the up in the Championship under Regis Le Bris.

Appointing the Frenchman has proven to be an inspired choice by the powers that be at the Stadium of Light, as the ex-Lorient manager attempts to collect his tenth win of the second tier season already when his troops travel down to Millwall this coming Saturday.

Sunderland fans will just hope the January transfer window opening doesn’t derail their positive campaign, with many of Le Bris’ standout individuals touted for big moves away.

What the transfer window could look like for Sunderland

It won’t just be constant talk of departures all month long though, as the Black Cats will no doubt have their eyes set on some new players here and there to help with their promotion bid.

But, a large chunk of it will be taken up by some anxious feelings that the likes of Chris Rigg or Jobe Bellingham could be on the move.

Rigg is even being speculated to have a mammoth £30m price tag above his head, which should put off some suitors, with the 17-year-old ace very much only in the infancy of his playing days still.

But, the teenager does have three goals next to his name in league action and could be just the fresh blood a club needs this January to receive a welcome boost.

Bellingham is also likely to be linked with a whole barrage of clubs this January, with Borussia Dortmund – who made his brother a superstar – apparently already sniffing around.

Regardless of what does happen in the manic window to follow, it is unlikely Sunderland will splash obscene amounts of cash to make up for any outgoings, with the Black Cats well known for throwing money at duds when they were regularly competing in the Premier League.

This highlighted example here is arguably one of the worst flops Sunderland have ever splashed out on, costing a substantial £13.6m to get in through the door…

Didier Ndong’s time at Sunderland

That £13.6m fee was a record purchase for the Wearside outfit at the time and it still does remain top of the pile, to the agony of Sunderland fans in the here and now who have to recollect Didier Ndong’s wretched stay.

Arriving from France having coincidentally been on the books of Le Bris’ old employers in Lorient, everyone at the Stadium of Light must have thought Ndong was going to be a top bit of business leaving Ligue 1 behind for the Premier League, considering his weighty price tag.

The extortionate dud would, however, end up only collecting one goal contribution in the Premier League for the Black Cats, as Sunderland succumbed to relegation during Ndong’s debut season.

He would eventually be sacked by his disgruntled employers in the wake of their disastrous back-to-back relegations that followed, which led to Ndong not returning back to the club for pre-season duties in the summer of 2018.

As journalist Josh Bunting stated at the time, the 5 foot 10 flop had proven to be something of a “waste of space” for those at Sunderland, prior to his departure.

The stinging pain of this move not going to plan also dented the Sunderland bank account significantly, with Ndong costing around the £17m mark in total when adding up both his bumper transfer cost and his steep £30k-per-week salary over two full campaigns.

Now, the Gabonese midfielder is worth just £1m – according to Transfermarkt – and playing in Iran for Persian Gulf Pro League side Esteghlal FC, with his reputation clearly taking a battering at the Stadium of Light.

If Sunderland could turn back time, they would never have signed off on this transfer misfire, with the promotion chasers hopeful no such blunders would happen again if they do return to the Premier League in the near future.