Sunderland have made plenty of big transfer missteps that ultimately led to their slump down the divisions.
However, arguably their worst ever signing was the decision to bring in Jack Rodwell for a large fee on a five-year deal.
Coming from Manchester City, the English midfielder naturally demanded big money, but for the promise he had shown at Everton it seemed worth it.
However, those that have seen the Netflix show ‘Sunderland Til I Die’ will know first-hand just how costly this decision was for the club.
Rodwell was draining resources from a club languishing in the Championship in 2018, and with the 31-year-old on £70k-per-week, he was asked to move on to ensure the safety of the club’s finances.
His refusal brought frustration from fans and those in the hierarchy of the club, as he oversaw yet another relegation to confirm their fall from grace.
He played just 76 times for the Wearside outfit, including twice during that 2017/18 season.
Rodwell was moved on following that season, but the damage had already been done by that point.
In total, it was 211 weeks of misery for the club. They had seen their £10m investment backfire tremendously. All in all, he cost his team £24.8m during his spell, which is roughly over £300k for each of his miserable appearances.
Even when he did play, during their relegation from the top-flight, he averaged just a 6.80 SofaScore rating in 20 appearances He provided no goals and just one assist.
He was labelled a “terrible” and “awful signing” for the Cityzens, but he did not have half the negative impact on them as he did on the Black Cats.
Is Rodwell Sunderland’s worst ever signing?
Even now they are striving for a Premier League return, battling away in the Championship.
Many would view the deal to sign Rodwell as one of the worst in Sunderland’s history, with his selfishness caught on camera for all to see.
He rinsed the club dry at their worst moment, and his refusal to leave despite struggling for game time had huge financial ramifications that they are still paying for now.
It will make them think twice before handing out long-term expensive contracts to risky transfer suggestions.
