Sunderland AFC: Major transfer oversight under Sam Allardyce saw contract last just 22 days | OneFootball

The fiasco must go down as one of the most ridiculous in Sunderland's history.

When it comes to transfer gaffs, they do not get much bigger than Sunderland's signing of Emmanuel Eboué.

In 2016, Sam Allardyce was tasked with pulling off yet another great escape to ensure the Black Cats' Premier League status for a tenth successive season.

Having signed the likes of Wahbi Khazri, Lamine Koné and Jan Kirchoff in January, Allardyce was on the hunt for free agents to boost the Wearsiders' survival hopes.

Eboué signed on a free transfer in March, but after a major oversight, the player left 22 days later without making a single appearance.

The signing of Eboué was an intriguing one for Sunderland supporters, considering the defender had been a consistent fixture for Arsène Wenger's Arsenal.

Eboué had been without a club since leaving Galatasaray in the summer of 2015, where he won five major trophies, including two league titles.

The defender signed a short-term contract that would keep him at the Stadium of Light until the end of the season. Allardyce was full of praise for the Ivorian when addressing the media upon his arrival.

He told The Guardian: “He’s a terrific guy, a very, very good talker as well as a good player. Hopefully, when the test comes, he is fit enough to cope."

Unfortunately for the Black Cats, that test never came as the defender had his contract terminated prematurely by the club.

Eboué's contract terminated amid 12-month FIFA ban

The then 32-year-old received notice from Sunderland that he would have his short-term contract terminated. This came after FIFA handed him a one-year ban for failing to pay his former agent, Sébastien Boisseau, as per The Guardian.

Sunderland's club statement said: “Sunderland AFC has been advised by the Football Association that Emmanuel Eboué has been placed under an immediate suspension from football and all football-related activity for a period of one year, by FIFA.

“The suspension relates to a monetary dispute which precedes his time at Sunderland AFC and was not something that the club was made aware of by the player. Eboué signed a contract with Sunderland AFC until the end of the current season and the club has therefore given notice of its intention to terminate the contract. The player has two weeks in which to appeal this decision."

Eboué appealed the decision, but his claim was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning he departed the club just 22 days after signing a contract.

Furthermore, the Ivorian did not make a single senior appearance, with his only outing in red and white coming in a match for the club's under-21s.

Eboué error not costly as Sunderland swerved relegation

Fortunately for the Black Cats, the Eboué debacle was not a costly one as Allardyce steered the club to safety with one game to spare.

Having beaten Everton 3-0, Allardyce stripped back his jacket and pumped his chest out to the obeying Wearside faithful at a raucous Stadium of Light.

Without doubt, the icing on the cake was that the result condemned their bitter foes, Newcastle United, to relegation to the Championship.

What was remarkable about this survival story was that Sunderland only lost one of their last 11 games to ensure their Premier League status, which featured a famous 3-2 win over Chelsea in early May.

On a personal note for Big Sam, the triumph meant he had never suffered relegation at that point. Two months later, he would be appointed England manager.

The Eboué farce was a lesson in that it really does pay to do your homework when signing a player. However, some of the blame must be heaped on the player, who failed to inform the Black Cats of the significant situation.

Luckily, the oversight was not costly, as Allardyce rallied his team to achieve the unlikeliest of survivals, while the Magpies suffered relegation.