Roy Keane has named two players he was warned not to sign during his time with Sunderland.
Roy Keane became Sunderland manager in 2006, taking the team from 23rd in the Championship back to the Premier League.
After finishing 15th in the top tier the following season, the former midfielder resigned two years after he was appointed.
Keane brought in some excellent players during his time at the Stadium of Light, including Steed Malbranque, Kieran Richardson and Phil Bardsley.
Another two stars he signed for Sunderland were Djibril Cisse and Pascal Chimbonda, with Keane admitting he had been warned against signing both of them.
However, the 52-year-old has explained how one of them ended up refuting their claims, while they were exactly right about the other.
Speaking on Gary Neville’s Stick to Football podcast, Keane said: “Sometimes you don’t know a player until he walks into the building.
“I’ve made lots of phone calls and people will say, ‘He’s a good lad,’ or ‘I’m not sure’.
“I remember when I tried to get Djibril Cisse and everyone said to me that he wasn’t a great lad, but I took a chance, and he was one of the best lads I’ve ever come across. You honestly don’t know a player until he’s walked into the building.
“I brought Pascal Chimbonda in when people said to not touch him, but I didn’t listen to them because I thought we needed him, and he had Premier League quality and experience. He came in and was hard work, and I’m being really polite.
“I didn’t listen to people, I thought we needed him. I remember, I left Sunderland and got a phone call from someone on the coaching staff at Spurs, they were thinking of bringing in Chimbonda and he’d already been at there. I said, ‘I wouldn’t be sure.’ Next day, they bought him. Why ring people and get feedback, sometimes you have to take a gamble, and pressure can make bad decisions.”
How did Djibril Cisse & Pascal Chimbonda fare at Sunderland?
Djibril Cisse joined Sunderland on loan from Marseille in August 2008.
The Frenchman scored on his debut as the Black Cats beat Tottenham, and it was only a month after he arrived at the club that Roy Keane admitted that he was prepared to break the transfer record to sign him permanently.
Cisse had also stated that he wished to remain at Sunderland, going onto score eleven goals in all competitions. However, he returned to Marseille in the summer, with Keane already leaving the club months earlier.
Meanwhile, Pascal Chimbonda joined Sunderland from Tottenham the same summer.
The defender made 16 appearances for the Black Cats, claiming three clean sheets before he returned to Spurs only five months later.