Sunderland’s list of notorious transfer mistakes is one which can arguably be blamed for the predicament they currently find themselves in; desperately trying to return to the Premier League after slumping all the way to League One.
With the likes of Jack Rodwell and Didier Ndong sure to steal headlines for their well-publicised misdeeds whilst at the club, someone like Jermaine Lens might go somewhat under the radar as an awful Black Cats deal.
Is Jermaine Lens one of Sunderland’s worst ever deals?
Signed by Dick Advocaat in 2015 for an £8m fee, this represented quite a large outlay for a relatively unproven winger.
He still remains in their top ten most expensive transfers of all time and yet delivered very little during his short stint at the Stadium of Light.
The season prior to his signing he had scored nine and assisted 12 in all competitions, and there was hope that he could be the man to keep Sunderland away from the drop for the foreseeable future.
However, he would spend just one miserable season on Wearside, where he would score three and assist another three in a year that was marred by injuries, amongst other issues.
They managed to evade relegation by just two points that year, but they were not to be so lucky the season following.
By that point, Lens was long gone. A loan move followed by a reported £6m fee for his services, it still marked an insane waste of money for one wholly disappointing season.
Not only was he a letdown on the pitch, but David Moyes came out to blast his conduct as “disgraceful” after the Dutchman stated that it would make his life easier should his parent club be relegated.
It is a testament to his ability that he is now playing his football at a semi-professional level for French side FC Versailles.
To think that Sunderland spent £8m to bring in a player that showed so much promise, only now to see where he has fallen is a testament to how awful their recruitment process was.
It has cost them everything, and they are still paying for it today.
