Yann M’Vila set to sign for Sunderland from Rubin Kazan
JULY 27, 2016 BY
JAMES NICKELSLEAVE A COMMENT
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Yann M’Vila’s turbulent summer is all set to end soon, with sources in both North-East England and Kazan confirming to RFN that the enigmatic Frenchman is set to sign a four-year-deal with Sunderland on the back of a highly successful loan stint at the club.
Sunderland fans all summer have been dismayed by their lack of progress on the transfer front, with the European Championships and uncertainty over the future of Sam Allardyce postponing all proposed transfers deals. Since the appointment of David Moyes as successor to the new England manager, Sunderland’s new CEO Martin Bain, has
admittedthe disruption behind the scenes. Bain later announced that all previously adjourned plans are now in full motion, confirming that Moyes has been given substantial financial backing.
On the contrary, Rubin have been very active in the summer so far under new manager Javi Gracia, completing nine transfers including fellow defensive midfielder Alex Song. The Tatars have been
actively looking to sell M’Vila and fellow Frenchman Chris Mavinga throughout the off-season, who
arrived late to pre-season due to visa issues, and were both later left out of Rubin’s tour of Austria.
Following this, Sunderland seem to have acted quickly to grab their number one priority this summer, reportedly agreeing both a fee with Rubin Kazan and personal terms with M’Vila himself. These terms will have been agreed in principle during part of their own pre-season tour in France – where M’Vila has been training alone, separate from the rest of the Rubin squad. M’Vila himself has repeatedly asserted both in
interviews and over
social media his wish to stay at Sunderland beyond last season.
The 26-year-old was one of Sunderland’s better performers last season, and if not for a late dip in form due to fitness and Jermain Defoe’s 18 goals, he may have been voted Player of the Season. M’Vila was described by his old manager, Frederic Antonetti as ‘la nouvelle vague’, part of the French new wave alongside Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Rio Mavuba. But later became described as ‘
les enfant terrible’, due to a series of
off-the-field troubles including allegedly assaulting a restaurant owner and hiring two prostitutes in 2010. M’Vila later accrued a two-year ban from the French Football Federation from all international duty for enjoying a drunken night out in Paris alongside Antoine Griezmann and others ahead of an Under-21 European Championship qualifying tie against Norway in November 2012. During his time in Russia, M’Vila has repeatedly went awol in France and even bought an axe for his ‘own protection’ from club officials.
Yet, despite a troublesome start being sent off in an Under-21s match for a head butt, M’Vila’s time at Sunderland has been relatively stress-free. He has enjoyed arguably the best football of his career since 2011 under Antonetti at Rennes, who then
described him as one of ‘few players in Europe as good as he is in that position. Yann is a combination of the great defensive midfielders. He reads the game like Claude Makelele, has the presence of Patrick Vieira and can pass the ball like Yaya Toure’.
Undoubtedly, M’Vila moving to Sunderland is a good fit for all parties concerned, and Rubin will be able to get a respectable price tag in response – purportedly around €5-7 million and David Moyes will be able to finally secure the services of a talented midfielder he has chased since his days
