Thank **** that saga is over. I wish him well (as in, I hope he trips over in the desert and gets arse ****ed of a well endowed camel).
typical of our club only getting £12 mil for him though should have forced the other clubs hand to pay more
What part of 'undisclosed' did you read as £12million? £12million is still a profit, as based on appearances, we only paid Rennes around £9million.
Didn't you get something crazy like £7m for his loan deal last season though? £12m is pretty good for an unhappy player. As for his behaviour, genuinely feel for you lads, its been disgusting. I understand homesickness etc. but there's a professional way to do things and he certainly didn't! **** him, spend the £12 (ideally not on this Guidetti lad) and move on!
Apologies if this has already been posted, but he's finally gone. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18737632 Asamoah Gyan leaves Sunderland to sign for Al-Ain Asamoah Gyan has left Sunderland to sign for United Arab Emirates-based side Al-Ain on a permanent deal. The striker had been on loan at Al-Ain since September 2011 and will remain after the two clubs agreed terms. Gyan scored 11 goals in 37 appearances for the Black Cats after joining from Rennes in a club-record £13m deal in August 2010. The fee is undisclosed but Sunderland are believed to have recouped almost all of their outlay on the striker. Al-Ain paid £6m for Gyan's initial loan spell, and Sunderland are thought to have received a similar amount for the permanent transfer. Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill revealed in April the 26-year-old did not want to return to Wearside. "You wouldn't really want somebody who is unwilling to come back to the football club," he said. "It seems to be the message that's coming across."
See, I dunno if that's the case. So he is getting an extra 100k a week or so, but his commercial value has plummeted. He was one of the first players to be wearing the new Adidas F50's, I dare say the contract for that was a £2-3 million a year, as an African poster boy playing in a league watched by billions. Other advertising, PR etc would have boosted it further. I think the tell-tale is the Bruce story that he was all packed up for a winter break (which we don't have). Money was a factor, clearly, but I also think he didn't have the mentality for it (backed up by his numerous high pressure balls ups in the national side).
Good riddance. In France he was a big fish in a small pond. In the Prem he was a small fish in a big pond. At Al Ain he's a dead fish in a dried-up pond, but at least he has plenty cash...
