Meanwhile, former Sunderland goalkeeper Tony Coton has been linked with a return to Wearside. Coton has been working as Aston Villa’s chief scout and Sunderland are reported to be keen to bring him back to the Stadium of Light in the same role. Read more at: https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...scout-linked-with-sunderland-return-1-9191309
Odd one this. He played only a handful of games for us, as I recall, then he was injured. My memory is by no means perfect but I think this ended his playing days and he was given a coaching role at the club. Then it all turned nasty when got another job then he sued SAFC for not insuring him for enough, (or something similar). Cannot remember the outcome though so it may have all been settled out of court. No doubt the individuals concerned have long departed.
It's done. It's on the club site. Pleased we're getting the set up sorted out and all of the key positions filled. I can't say that this one fills me with excitement though- he's done an unspectacular if solid job at Villa.
Could be a shrewd move this. He's been at Villa a few years and will hopefully have been extensively scouting around League One and Two so hopefully he can pick out a few gems
Head of recruitment Tony Coton warns agents the Sunderland 'sweet shop' is now closed Since Stewart Donald took over the Black Cats have been vocal in their determination not to be taken for a ride but it has not stopped people trying 41SHARES 6COMMENTS By Stuart Rayner 18:38, 13 JUN 2018 SPORT please log in to view this image Tony Coton (Image: Getty Images Europe) 41SHARES 6 Get Sunderland AFC updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Tony Coton has warned the Sunderland “sweet shop” is closed after being bombarded with calls from agents looking to make a fast buck out of the Black Cats. Coton is the new head of recruitment at a club which, off the field at least, has been completely revamped in a matter of weeks. His job will be to help provide the accompanying on-field overhaul badly needed after back-to-back relegations. A litany of bad decisions saw the Wearsiders run up debts of around £125m under previous owner Ellis Short until he wiped them out to sell the club to Stewart Donald . The new man is determined not to go down the same route, and Coton is certainly in tune with the new mindset. “I’ve only been in the role three days and my phone has never stopped,” he said. “But what the agents need to realise is that Sunderland is no longer the sweet shop it has been. We’re in League One and we have to cut our cloth accordingly. People have got to realise that.” Donald’s right-hand man, executive director Charlie Methven memorably warned on his first day in the job that “the p***-take party is over” but it would seem not everyone has got the message yet. Sunderland have batted off a number of bids for their players, determined not to sell any for less than their valuation. With the debt burden now lifted (though they still owe £25m this summer in legacy payments on past transfers, something Steve300002 should realise is part of our debt), Donald says they are now in a position to hold out for the right price. READ MORE Sunderland apologise to fans who will not be able to watch their team in Portugal Bids of £2m for Paddy McNair and £2.6m for Didier Ndong, for example, were laughed off. Brighton and Hove Albion were thought to have come back with £3.75m, only to be told to go away and come up with something more realistic, while Torino improved their offer for Ndong to £6.6m, which was accepted. The deal, though, appears to have collapsed over the Gabonese midfielder’s personal terms. That a League One player should be out of the financial reach of a top-half Serie A club even after his pay was cut by 40 per cent last summer gives an indication of what generous payers Sunderland (and the Premier League as a whole) have been. Dijon have ruled out making centre-back Papy Djilobodji’s season-loan loan permanent because the Black Cats were paying two thirds of his £32,000 wages last season, while World Cup-bound playmaker Wahbi Khazri’s £37,000 weekly remuneration is thought to have stopped Rennes exercising a £6m option to make his loan permanent. READ MORE Confirmed: Adrian Lamb and Dave Binningsley are latest redundancies in Sunderland overhaul Largesse like that has got Sunderland a reputation in the football world, but Coton is determined the new regime will shake it off. “I’ve had agents ring me up putting the names of good players to me but once they’ve told me what sort of money these players would be looking for I’ve had to stop the conversation because we’re not going anywhere near that,” he said. “The financial implications of where this club has been means we have to operate differently now, “We’re shopping in a different supermarket. We’re not shopping in Harrods any more.” Sunderland have until 5pm on August 4 to buy players this summer, though they will be able to arrange loans for the rest of the month.
Really? i think you'll find i was talking about the 40m that they themselves owe to short, not the club. I await your abusive reply, because you simply must be right
