Sunderland have made some extremely bad transfer decisions in the past.
But perhaps the one that will stick in fans’ minds and will continue to break their heart is the failure to sign Yann M’Vila on a permanent deal.
The midfielder joined the Black Cats on loan from Rubin Kazan for the 2015-16 campaign and he was easily one of the best players I have ever seen in a Sunderland shirt.
Despite being a joke of a club at the time, we actually somehow had the opportunity to sign such a player, and what made it even more ridiculous is that he wanted to come back. M’Vila even took to his social media to express his desire to join Sunderland permanently, but claimed the club simply didn’t want him.
Ellis Short received a lot of criticism for that decision and rightly so. But fans were forced to move on, as M’Vila returned to Russia in disappointment.
Fast forward seven years and we somehow have yet another chance to bring M’Vila back. According to RMC Sport, Sunderland are one of a number of clubs targeting the Frenchman on a free transfer after he was released by Olympiacos.
Fabrizio Romano went on to confirm that M’Vila is on the lookout for a new club but is yet to open talks with any potential suitors.
Bring back Yann!
While M’Vila won’t quite be the player he was back then, he is still around the same age as Corry Evans and would definitely do a job in the Championship. The former France international has a brilliant relationship with the fans and would really boost the mood around the club even further, while he would add the experience, strength and grit that Sunderland’s midfield is sometimes lacking.
After making 31 appearances in the Greek Super League and a further eight in the Europa League last season, M’Vila is surely very ready to slot straight into that team as Evans’ replacement.
Given that he is available as a free agent, it seems crazy that the Black Cats wouldn’t at least try to snap him up. M’Vila was thought to be earning around £29,000-per-week at Olympiacos, but would surely consider a pay cut to return to Wearside.
Get it done, Kristjaan Speakman!