Stewart Donald is never far from the spotlight at Sunderland. Whether it’s attempts to divide the fanbase, trying to sell the club or making false promises, he is the definition of a loathed figure.
The Black Cats owner has come in for a huge amount of criticism this week, revealing his intentions to sell up amid fan unrest in an official club statement.
Speaking on his decision, he stated: “We would also like to reassure those loyal fans that we are placing sufficient funds in the club to support the manager as he seeks to improve the first team in the next few weeks.”
Certainly in terms of transfers, this does seem to be the case, especially if you believe recent reports.
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The Mackems are busy monitoring the situation of Billy Sharp while Phil Parkinson has confirmed that Burton Albion’s Liam Boyce is on their shortlist.
Another player he confirmed was interesting them was Kyle Lafferty. The forward was shown around the club’s facilities earlier this week before putting pen to paper on a contract on Friday evening, officially signing for Parkinson’s men.
A controversial figure, the 75-cap Northern Ireland international comes with a reputation of causing trouble. Pre-Euro 2016, journalist James Ducker stated that Lafferty has “natural gravitation towards controversy and ill-discipline.”
But that isn’t the only issue that’s now arisen from such a move being completed. In fact, it’s a transfer that could cause further animosity towards Donald who will go against his words from the back end of 2019.
After holding a meeting with various Sunderland supporter groups, the owner suggested the club were in a good place ahead of concluding business in January. However, in the official minutes that came out, there was a very particular message.
It read: “There will be signings for the future.”
This gives the impression that Parkinson’s men would be in the market for players not only capable of making a difference now, but also individuals able to perform well in the years to come, possibly if they achieved promotion
However, with the best of his career now behind him, the 32-year-old Lafferty isn’t someone for the future. Indeed, that’s best summarised by the fact he’s only signed a short-term contract until the end of the current season.
Previously at Norwegian outfit Sarpsborg, the experienced performer is now in his twilight years and there are big doubts over his ability.
The very fact he’ll only be in the north-east for the best part of half a dozen months shows there is little long-term planning, and with Donald looking to sell, perhaps only the club’s immediate interests are at the forefront of his mind.
In terms of the Black Cats’ long term vision, this is a mindless move, one that will unlikely boost their hopes of promotion. Lafferty has struggled in English football, scoring just 13 Championship goals from 118 outings. He’s also out of form and low on confidence after achieving the same number of red cards as he managed goals in Norway – one.
Donald’s idea to plan for the future looked smart, but this signing goes against that initial proposal. Sunderland now need to be more efficient in the coming weeks of the window.
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