The years leading up to their 2018 relegation to League One were a clear indication that Sunderland, once a divided organization, was in a downward spiral.
Early to mid-2010s saw an increasing rift between the club and its supporters as misguided management hires and bad transfer business finally led to their downfall.
The majority of the Black Cats’ salary bill was consumed by players like Jack Rodwell, Didier Ndong, and Adnan Januzaj, which added to their predicament. However, the Black Cats were prone to passing up on talent that might have saved their sinking ship from drowning.
Toby Alderweireld, a center-back, was one of the club’s stars who eluded their grasp while Gus Poyet was in charge.
The Black Cats and Atletico Madrid reached an agreement for the signing of the Belgian international, with a view to making the move permanent the following year, according to Belgian publication Het Laatste Nieuws [via talkSPORT].
Alderweireld rejected the trade because he wasn’t persuaded by the Sunderland idea. After playing 26 games for Southampton in the 2014–2015 season, he eventually caught the notice of Tottenham, who in 2015 acquired him on a permanent basis from Atletico.
Another example of one who got away during this period was Georginio Wijnaldum.
Did Sunderland almost sign Georginio Wijnaldum?
According to the Guardian, Sunderland had lodged an £11m bid for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer of 2015.
The report detailed that their manager at the time, Dick Advocaat, had made contact with the club to register an interest in the 24-year-old.
Unfortunately, the Dutch manager was unable to convince Wijnaldum to transfer to Wearside; instead, Wijnaldum was lured to Tyneside by Newcastle United, who made a £14.4 million offer.
The “superb” Wijnaldum, as Toon icon Alan Shearer dubbed him, would go on to have an incredible campaign, recording 16 contributions as the Magpies were relegated to the Championship. Newcastle had won that specific transfer war.
Before joining Liverpool and staying in the Premier League, the Dutchman found room to become a cult hero on Tyneside, notably scoring four goals in one game against Norwich.
How good was Wijnaldum at Liverpool?
The German manager, Jurgen Klopp, referred to him as “sensational” and insisted that he was the “architect of our success” after acquiring him for £25 million in 2016. He rapidly established himself as a key component of Klopp’s gegenpressing strategy.
During his illustrious five-year tenure at Liverpool, Wijnaldum made 237 games, playing key parts in both the club’s 2019 Champions League victory and their coveted 2020 Premier League title success.
In the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona, the Reds overcame a 3-0 deficit in the first leg to win 4-3 on aggregate, and Wijnaldum’s performance that night will live on in club lore for all time.
In the game’s turning point and nearly single-handedly breaking Barcelona’s spirit, he provided two flashes of brilliance, allowing Liverpool to victory on the greatest European night at Anfield.
The Reds have only recently replaced those essential qualities with the additions of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer. He will be remembered for showing up on the biggest stages and will be missed for the explosive power, sensational ball-carrying, and insane press resistance that he brought to Klopp’s midfield trio.
The long-lasting legacy that Wijnaldum left behind after leaving the club to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 is epitomized by how long it took for the club to really replace his world-class talents. Wijnaldum was one of the German’s most significant purchases in his first summer at the helm. Imagine if he had been able to present those at the Stadium of Light in the beginning.
