Jack Rodwell features: Sunderland AFC’s biggest transfer flops from recent times | OneFootball

Sunderland have had their fair share of transfer disappointments since 2000

Usually, making a top-five list is an achievement that one should be proud of, but landing a place in Sunderland's biggest transfer flops of recent times is not something worth celebrating.

Indeed, getting onto this list is no easy feat. Following a lengthy run through the archives, it became evident that the club have carried out some truly awful business over the last 24 years.

In truth, the original list consisted of at least 12 names, but after careful consideration, it was whittled down to just five.

While there are some names who many might believe should be on the list, several factors were considered, with transfer fee, impact and legacy all factors in the final decision.

Jack Rodwell

Perhaps Sunderland's worst signing of the Premier League era, it is no surprise that Jack Rodwell has made the list.

When Sunderland signed Rodwell in 2014 from Premier League champions, Manchester City, for a fee in the region of £10m, the transfer was regarded as a superb piece of business by the Black Cats. The then 23-year-old had high potential and already had three England caps to his name.

Given the fee and potential of the midfielder, Rodwell never lived up to expectations. Following a string of poor seasons in the Premier League, he was relegated with the club to the Championship.

He only made two league appearances in the Championship despite being on £70,000 a week, as reported by The Athletic. To add insult to injury, the Englishman was the only player who did not have a wage deduction written in his contract.

Jozy Altidore

Jozy Altidore was one of a host of Sunderland signings during the short but chaotic reign of Paolo Di Canio.

Having signed for a reported £6m from AZ Alkmaar, Altidore endured a torrid time in the North East. During his time on Wearside, the striker only managed one Premier League goal in 42 appearances.

Obviously, the American's goal tally was abysmal, but his performances left fans wondering how Altidore ever became a professional footballer in the first place.

Intriguingly, Altidore was involved in one of the greatest deals the club has ever done. Somehow, the Black Cats convinced Toronto to swap the forward for Jermain Defoe, who went on to become one of Sunderland's greatest players in recent years.

Didier Ndong

If one signing could sum up how wasteful Sunderland were with money, it would be Didier Ndong.

In 2016, the Wearsiders broke their transfer record and signed Didier N'Dong from FC Lorient for a reported fee of £13.6m. To this day, the midfielder remains the most expensive player in the club's history.

For such a hefty fee, the club would have expected hefty performances, but the club got the complete opposite. Ndong underwhelmed and was part of the Sunderland side that endured relegation to the Championship in 2017.

In 2018, it was reported by the Daily Mail that the player failed to report back to pre-season, before having his contract terminated.

Will Grigg

It is no surprise that Will Grigg made the list, considering he is the most recent catastrophe to set foot on Wearside.

Grigg was signed for a reported £4m by bumbling duo, Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven, during their time in charge of the club. As depicted in The Office-esque scene from 'Sunderland Til I Die', Donald put in a series of over-inflated bids for the Northern Irishman in a scene that was reminiscent of Homes Under the Hammer.

Needless to say, Grigg was not on fire and never lit up the Stadium of Light. Given the extortionate fee paid by the club for his services while they were in League One, he simply had to make the list.

Ricky Alvarez

Although there are a wealth of Sunderland players who were worse than Ricky Alvarez, there cannot be a more shoddy deal than the one that brought him to the Stadium of Light.

Having initially signed on loan from Inter Milan, the club were forced to sign the injury-prone winger on a permanent deal following a legal battle which they lost.

Despite signing for the Black Cats in 2014, the club felt the financial pain of the deal was felt for years to come, with the Black Cats ordered to pay Inter and the player further fees in 2017 and 2020 respectively.

In truth, a list of five is probably not enough, but given the number of poor signings on Wearside, it shines a light on just how dismal these signings were.

While none of the players made an impact on the pitch, they all made an impact on Sunderland's wallet, and it is because of these deals that the club do not do business like this anymore.