50 DIDIER NDONG
SUNDERLAND (£13.6M)
If you fear arrest for merely stepping foot in the same country as your employer, things haven’t gone too well. That was the pickle in which Didier Ndong found himself when, two years and two relegations into Sunderland life, he fled to Africa and refused to return.
Having survived by the skin of their teeth the previous campaign, the Black Cats had high hopes the tough-tackling midfielder would prevent another Premier League relegation battle and, at least initially, the August 2016 record signing from Lorient looked the part. The combative Ndong made 31 appearances but the Mackems struggled and finished bottom, spending all bar two weeks of the season in the bottom three.
There was still a belief that Ndong’s energy could spark an immediate top-flight return but the 23-year-old’s 18th Championship appearance, which ended with a red card in a 4-0 January 2018 defeat at Cardiff, would be his last. With the player’s patience now as low as Sunderland’s league position (bottom again after 27 games), the tantrum to end all tantrums was about to commence.
First, Ndong engineered a loan move to top-flight Watford but failed to make a single Hornets appearance and the wantaway Gabonese was soon back at the Stadium of Light. Ndong, to give him his dues, was far from the only Black Cat who wanted out following relegation to League One, but his wages meant finding a new club wasn’t easy – Torino even had a bid accepted, but pesky personal terms proved prohibitive.
Stuck between a lucrative rock and a hard (poorer-paying) place, Ndong did what any self-respecting player would do in the same situation: he booked a flight to Morocco and outraged supporters by posting photos of his swimming pool on Instagram. Reports in Gabon suggested he feared arrest for breach of contract if he were to return to the UK, in a gross overestimation of police resources. Roundly condemned, absolutely. Arrested? Probably not.
When Ndong could finally be coaxed back, in late September 2018, Sunderland sacked him via a perfunctory statement declaring they retained “the right to pursue the player and any club he may subsequently join in relation to compensation for the value of the player”. Ndong eventually accepted he’d have to pay back €4m in legal compensation upon signing for a new club, which he did three months later – joining Guingamp, who promptly got relegated. In a way, nobody really had the last laugh…
49 MATTEO SERENI
IPSWICH (£4.5M)
THE CONTEXT Fifth in 2000-01, Town replaced homegrown Arsenal-bound keeper Richard Wright with Sereni, who had starred for Sampdoria and Empoli.
HOW’D IT GO? Sent off for scrapping with Leicester’s Robbie Savage in his fourth game, the Italian’s erratic displays typified the Tractor Boys’ relegation. Joined Brescia on loan, then Lazio on a permanent basis in 2003. Arrivederci.
48 CHRISTOS TZOLIS
NORWICH (£10M)
THE CONTEXT The Canaries’ record of splashing the cash makes for pretty grim reading – Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Steven Naismith were followed by PAOK youngster Tzolis, an expensive gamble after promotion in 2021.
HOW’S IT GOING? Another Canary flop, scoring three in 30 outings. The wideman is currently on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf.
47 GIANNELLI IMBULA
STOKE (£18.3M)
THE CONTEXT The exorbitant fee Mark Hughes’ Stoke paid Porto for DR Congo midfielder Imbula in February 2016 is less eye-watering when one considers they were getting a player-manager…
HOW’D IT GO? Former team-mate Glen Johnson claims Imbula once subbed himself off during a friendly, then brought himself back on 10 minutes later. His four-year spell included one relegation and three season-long loans, ending with his contract being terminated.
46 RHIAN BREWSTER
SHEFF UNITED (£23.5M)
THE CONTEXT The Liverpool striker won the Golden Boot as England lifted the U17 World Cup in 2017 – three years later, Blades boss Chris Wilder thought the youngster was worth a gamble.
HOW’S IT GOING? Brewster failed to find the net in 27 Premier League matches, Wilder got the sack and the Blades went down. Only four goals followed in two seasons in the Championship, missing much of last season through injury.
45 ROBERT EARNSHAW
DERBY (£3.5M)
Long before the second-tier Rams were extravagantly buying Matej Vydra
