14 September 2013 8:25 | By Graeme Anderson PAOLO Di Canio says he was happy to let Stephane Sessegnon leave Sunderland after becoming increasingly convinced the strikerâs time at the club was up. The Benin international, a fansâ favourite and former Player of the Year, was a transfer deadline day departure from the Stadium of Light, joining West Brom in a £6m record deal for the Baggies. The strikerâs future had been cast into doubt when he was arrested on suspicion of drink driving in Newcastle on the night of Sunderlandâs League Cup win over MK Dons - just days before the window closed. But his sale was still something of a surprise with Sessegnon recognised as Sunderlandâs most exciting and creative player and Di Canio having said in previous weeks that he wanted to keep the African at the cub. Speaking about the sale publicly for the first time today though, Di Canio told the Echo: âAlways know this - that purely as a player, I wanted to keep him. âBut he did not make me enjoy the first three games in the league this season - he was a surprising negative in our performances. âAnd then I said, OK, I think after three years, if a player is not showing the desire, if he is not home-grown or does not belong to this club, it is easy for a big player to lose his desire. âHe becomes so that he struggles to give more than 60 per cent in anything - on or off the pitch. âSo when they told me there was this chance for him to move, I decided we should take it. âBest of luck to him. âIt gave us a chance to bring in players who can give us more options, more energy, more quality and more dedication. âHis time has gone.â Di Canio had fought Sessegnonâs corner during the summer when the top echelons of the club approached him about the strikerâs potential sale. The Italian made it clear that he wanted to keep a player who was a proven match-winner on his day and looked as if the Italian would get his way. But events on and off the pitch in the opening few weeks of the new campaign finally altered the head coachâs thinking, with Sessegnonâs arrest on a night Sunderland were playing being the final straw. Di Canio revealed:âI tried to keep him but then I saw how he was in our games and I was not impressed with his desire, or his attitude. âAnd then in our cup game - a crucial game for us, a game to give confidence to everybody - he was 20 miles away from the Stadium of Light and not with family âThat was the final situation which gave me the chance to decide that I couldnât insist on him staying, because as a manager I have to be more intelligent. âHe was not at the stadium, he was not at home and to me it suggested that he did not care enough and so I say âgo and good luckâ.â As well as Sessegnon leaving on deadline day, Sunderland brought in left-back Andrea Dossena from Napoli and striker Fabio Borini on loan from Liverpool. And Di Canio added: âWe took the opportunity to bring in a couple more players that have increased our options as a squad and I am very pleased about that.. âI know that they are hungry to prove themselves here and have a great desire to succeed, which is what I need from my players.â
Yes id have rather seen him go to Qatar. At least all them fans that threw their toys out of their pram when he left now have an explanation!
He was either brilliant or just not bothered when he played at a big club you get away with it at a club like us you can't as we need everyone pulling together not playing games with 10 men half the time. Agreed that selling to a rival was a strange one but, he's gone now and hopefully the spilt milk which accompanied his departure will be cleaned up now.
Pleased he has came out and revealed his train of thought regarding Sess. In a way it was similar to many on here. An expensive luxury. In the working world, if your highest paid employee only bothered their arse 1 out of 5 working days would you want to keep them on at your company? Slight quandry, which Paolo obviously had enough of.
Now I understand the exciting part but I don't think he was very creative. In fact, apart from a dribble he was largely disappointing. If he had that final ball then I don't think we'd be having this conversation because there's no way he'd have been sold. With his massive inconsistencies, his annual ahead turning, wages and off pitch incident, I can see why he was sold. Shouldn't have been sold to a rival though.
