Sunderland's top 6 record signings: What is each player up to now? | OneFootball

Sunderland are one of the most famous and historic clubs in English football currently sat outside the Premier League, and plenty of their record signings reflect their standing in the game.

Unfortunately for the club, they fell just short in the play-offs last season, with Luton Town knocking them out and going on to beat Coventry City in the final.

They have worked hard to rebuild and go again this season, with the club in its second consecutive season at second tier level currently. The Black Cats have flirted with the play-offs again for much of the campaign, but have slowly drifted away in 2024.

Things don't look like they are likely to turn around any time soon, as the club have failed to build on a promising first season back last year. They have had two permanent managers already, with Mike Dodds currently in caretaker charge.

Dodds allows the club plenty of time to assess options before a new manager could come in during the summer. The club will hope to get back to the top-flight sooner rather than later in a league that they have extensive history in.

They have not tasted Premier League football since 2016.

However, during those latter years, they also spent significantly in the transfer market, and we have taken a look back at what some of their record signings are up to these days.

6 Darren Bent

The former England striker enjoyed a fruitful spell at the Stadium of Light, scoring 36 goals in 63 appearances before leaving to join Aston Villa just a year-and-a-half after arriving on Wearside for £10 million from Tottenham Hotspur.

Bent had bagged 24 Premier League goals in his debut season for Sunderland but was never quite able to reach those heights again after leaving the club and bounced around the likes of Fulham, Brighton, Derby County, and Burton Albion before retiring in 2019.

The ex-Sunderland marksman can be seen doing punditry and other various radio and media work now, for the likes of talkSPORT and Sky Sports.

5 Jack Rodwell

Rodwell signed for Sunderland back in 2014 from Manchester City for a fee that was also believed to be around the £10 million mark.

The midfielder struggled to hit the same heights he did at Everton while he was at City, so he was sold by the club to Sunderland.

Rodwell stayed at the Stadium of Light for four years, and during that time he appeared 76 times, but injuries and falling out of favour meant his time at the club wasn’t successful.

He left the club in 2018 on a free transfer, joining Blackburn Rovers, but since leaving Sunderland, the midfielder has really struggled to find a home.

Playing at Sheffield United before being without a club and then moving to Australia to play for Western Sydney and Sydney FC. The 33-year-old is still playing football with Sydney FC, having joined the club back in August 2022.

4 Michael Turner

The Black Cats signed Turner back in 2009 for an undisclosed fee, but it was believed to be around the £12 million mark from Hull City. Turner was a reasonable success at the Stadium of Light; he appeared 77 times for the club in his three-year spell.

The defender had a turbulent time during the latter stages of his time at the club as injuries cost him more game time, but when called upon, he did reasonably well.

He was sold in 2012 to Norwich City, and since leaving Sunderland, he has played for the Canaries, Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday, and Southend United.

Turner announced his retirement from professional football back in 2020 and is yet to have a role in the game since.

3 Steven Fletcher

Sunderland signed Fletcher from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2012 for a fee of £12 million that had the potential to be worth £14 million.

The Scotsman stayed with the Black Cats for four years before he left the club in 2016 to join Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.

Fletcher played over 100 games for Sunderland, and during those he managed to net 23 times.

Fletcher was never really a prolific goalscorer at Sunderland, and, unfortunately for the Wearsiders, he never quite hit the heights of his Wolves days.

During his time at the Stadium of Light, Fletcher also spent time away from the club with a loan move to French side Marseille.

At 36, he is still playing professional football, recently plying his trade at Scottish Premiership side Dundee United before joining League Two newcomers Wrexham, where he has made a decent impact in the English fourth tier.

2 Asamoah Gyan

Gyan joined Sunderland in August 2010 for what was then their record transfer fee of £13 million after a fantastic World Cup campaign in South Africa with Ghana.

He joined the club from French side Stade Rennais and stayed with the Black Cats for two years; however, one of those years saw him depart the club on a season-long loan deal.

In his one season on Wearside, Gyan scored 11 times in the 37 appearances, becoming a real fan favourite amongst the supporters.

However, the relationship soon broke down and he was sold in the summer of 2012 to Al-Ain FC.

The striker had spells across all of Europe, but finally announced his retirement from football in October 2021.

In August last year, the forward was trying to make a shock return to the Ghana national squad for the Qatar World Cup, that failed to happen and he remains still retired from the game.

Gyan has expressed his intention to remain involved in the sport, focusing on coaching, football business, and scouting.

Sunderland signed Ndong back in September 2016, for what is still now their biggest ever transfer fee on a player.

The club spent £13.5 million to sign Ndong from French side Lorient, who signed a five-year deal at the club.

Ndong stayed on Wearside for two years before he left the club in 2018 after his contract was terminated by the club.

During his time at Sunderland, he made 54 appearances, contributing to six goals.

There were big things expected of Ndong, but due to the club’s demise at the time, it was never the right fit.

Since leaving Sunderland, the midfielder has bounced around from club to club and was recently plying his trade at French side Dijon, but the Gabonese international took a lucrative offer to move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Riyadh SC last summer.