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Following Sunderland AFC is easy. Being emotionally attached to them is a bloody nightmare. But then, we don’t need to tell you about that because you get it; you’re one of us. We know you’re one of us because you’re supposed to be doing something else now. Obviously, we don’t know what that something else is – we’re not psychic – but whether it’s working, shopping, cleaning, decorating or reinvig

orating that flailing relationship, the point is that you’re not doing it. You’re on here reading stuff about Sunderland, which means you’re all right by us. The world is littered with people like you and us, people whose day to day lives - the bits that happen in between watching the lads – are only made bearable by devoting as much of them as we can get away with talking about, thinking about, reading about and fantasising about a team that last won a major trophy in 1973. We’re all in it for the ride and not the destination, and we’re all on the same side, however tortuous that journey becomes. At the back end of the 1980s, football fanzines began to sweep the country and in 1989 we were presented with a new vehicle on which to enjoy some of this ride – A Love Supreme. ALS was a place we could all go to celebrate and commiserate being a Sunderland fan. Win, lose or draw, the pages of the fanzine became solace for many of us as we stumbled our way through our day to day lives, punctuated by the ups and downs of more match days than any of us care to remember. In the years since its inception, a stupidly ridiculous number of Sunderland fans have expressed their love for God’s own football team in their own way through its pages. Some of it was funny, some of it deadly serious, some of it critical, some of it complimentary, but all of it was heartfelt. Even the most biting, radical, critical stuff, written by fans at the depth of despair comes from the bottom of their heart, no matter how hard it is for many of us to swallow.

RUMOUR ROUNDUPAt this stage in the transfer window we have been linked with countless players, so here’s a list of ten p...
30/06/2025

RUMOUR ROUNDUP
At this stage in the transfer window we have been linked with countless players, so here’s a list of ten players we have been more credible interest in. Two of those are just waiting for official club confirmation and one looks 50/50 if he will sign for us or not.

HABIB DIARRA
Habib Diarra is a midfielder who plays for Strasbourg and he has reportedly completed his medical and signed a five year contract with us. He will break our club record transfer fee for an incoming player, with us spending €31.5 million plus €4 million in add-ons. Aged 21 he has played 102 times for Strasbourg, scoring 11 goals and been capped 11 times for Senegal; scoring on four occasions. He is able to operate in the centre of midfield or slightly further forward or more defensively. We have tripled the wages he was on in France.

REINILDO
Reinildo recently became a free agent after leaving Atlético Madrid. The 31-year-old played 103 games for his last side and previously turned out for Lille, where he won the Ligue 1 title in 2021. He can play as a left back (his primary position), a left-sided midfielder or as a centre back and has been capped 49 times for Mozambique. He will become our first player to come from Mozambique as well as the Southeast African nation’s first representative in the Premier League, as it has been reported he has signed on a two year contract.

MARCIN BUŁKA
There have been some conflicting reports on what’s happening with the 25-year-old Poland international goalkeeper who currently turns out for Nice. What seems to be happening though is that both us and Saudi Arabian outfit Neom SC have agreed a fee for the player and it is up to him as to where he chooses to go. Bu∤ka has played the majority of his football in his career at Nice but came through the Chelsea academy and made a couple of appearances at PSG, as well as having five caps for Poland.

ARMAND LAURIENTÉ
Versatile attacker Armand Laurienté (can play as a right winger or a striker but favours playing out on the left) is someone we are ahead in the race to sign at the moment. The 26-year-old recently won the Serie B title with Sassuolo and has top flight experience with them as well as with Lorient, his time there coinciding with that of our head coach’s. A fee of around €15 million will likely be his price with Marseille, Bologna, Fiorentina and Roma all interested.

YASEK GASIOROWSKI
We are interested in acquiring the services of Valencia defender Yarek Gasiorowski. Born in 2005, he plays mostly as a centre back but has played as a left back too. He has a release clause of €60 million but his club will reportedly accept a bid as low as €25 million. He has spent his entire career at Valencia and has been capped at an U19 level for Spain.

TIAGO DJALÒ
25-year-old centre back (who can also play as a right and left back) Tiago Djalò is another man we’ve been linked with. He plays for Juventus and spent last season out on loan at Porto. The club he played most for was Lille and he was there at the same time as Reinildo, winning the league alongside him. He has one cap for the Portugal national team and Crystal Palace also want to sign him.

CHARLIE CRESSWELL
Formerly of Leeds and Millwall (via a loan spell), the 22-year-old Englishman currently plies his trade for Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse who he played for regularly last season. He also recently won the U21 Euros, the second time he has won the competition. His club wants £18 million for his signature and both Atalanta and Como are pursuing him. Cresswell plays as a centre back.

ARTHUR AVOM
Cameroon international (four caps), Arthur Avom plays for Lorient and won the Ligue 2 title with them last season. Aged 20, he can play as a central midfielder or as an attacking/defensive midfielder as well. Régis Le Bris is keen on him but he has also been scouted by Aston Villa, Chelsea and West Ham.

HAMED TRAORÈ
The brother of former Sunderland player Amad Diallo, Traorè is contracted to Bournemouth but has spent most of his time with the club out on loan at Napoli and most recently Auxerre. Last season he scored 10 times in 26 games at Auxerre and used to play for Empoli and Sassuolo. He has 11 caps and two goals for the Ivory Coast. An unnamed French club has offered €12 million for him but it is thought his asking price is closer to €16 million. He operates primarily as an attacking midfielder but can play more centrally or on the left side of the midfield.

MATTÉO GUENDOUZI
Guendouzi was at Lorient at the same time as Le Bris before he moved to Arsenal and he has gone on since to spend time in the Bundesliga (with Hertha BSC) and Serie A (with his current team Lazio) as well as playing for Marseille. Most impressively he has earned 14 caps for France, finding the back of the net twice. Despite our interest he seems more happy to remain at Lazio. He plays as a central midfielder but can play in a more attacking-minded or defensive-minded position in the midfield.

MARCIN BULKA: WHO ARE YOU?Just a few days ago, it looked extremely likely that Marcin Bulka was coming to Sunderland. As...
30/06/2025

MARCIN BULKA: WHO ARE YOU?

Just a few days ago, it looked extremely likely that Marcin Bulka was coming to Sunderland. As things stand, it looks like the goalkeeper has a choice to make: Saudi wages, or Premier League football? We'll happily admit that we've never seen him play - so, we enlisted the help of Bruno Martel from the Nice fanzine QVLD because Bruno watches him week-in, week-out!

Bulka has been linked with a move away from Nice all summer. Why is he expected to leave the club?

First of all, to remove any doubt, it's not at all a question of sports performance. Bulka joined us in 2021, first on loan as a number two and then we bought him permanently, again to fill that position. So he arrived on a fairly low salary, in line with his “backup” status. He became the first-choice keeper for the 2023/2024 season, confirming the expectations placed in him. The sport director at the time (Florent Ghisolfi, who has now joined Sunderland) promised him in March 2024 that he would receive a pay rise and a contract extension at the end of the that season, making him one of the club's top earners.

However, during that summer of 2024, when he was due to receive this offer, our owner INEOS (who had just taken a stake in Manchester United) decided to spend less at Nice and therefore no longer offer Marcin a high salary. Bulka decided that the club was not keeping its promise and, despite several following proposals for salary increases, he decided not to extend his contract.

As a result, he will be free next summer (2026), and as the club wants to make money on a transfer, it is preferred to sell him now rather than let him go for free at the end of next season.

Sunderland will be major underdogs in the Premier League next season. Why might he choose us over a move to Saudi club, Neom?

Staying with us is clearly impossible for the reasons given above. Nice are also pushing him to leave by looking for a substitute.

I think he must have fond memories of his time at Chelsea in England and that it's a league in which he'll be able to perform well and keep his profile high. I'm not saying that he necessarily sees Sunderland as a springboard, but if he performs well, it could open doors for him in top clubs (a bit more than Galatasaray or Saudi in any case).

Did the fact that the coach is French and Florent Ghisolfi’s potential involvement also influence his choice? It's possible, I think.

The rumoured fee is around 20 million Euros. Are you happy with that price?

If we finish at that price, I think it will be very good for Nice, but in my opinion it will end up being a bit less. Based on his sport performances and his age, 20 million seems to me to be a reasonable price, but his contractual situation (the fact that he'll be free in a year's time) should logically bring that amount down (I imagine that Nice are hoping to use the competition to reach that figure and start a bit of a bidding war).

Anthony Patterson's biggest weaknesses are probably his distribution and also how he commands the box. How does Bulka do in these areas of his game?

Unfortunately for you, I think we can point to the same areas of improvement for Bulka. He's very strong on his line but I find him less effective in the air. In any case, he clearly has room for improvement. I wouldn't rate his footwork as either a weakness or a strength. Mentally and motivation-wise though, there's nothing to say, he's a warrior.

Standing at 6 foot 6, I assume he is a towering presence in goal. Is this correct?

On his line, without a doubt, he's very imposing. In the air, on crosses, I thought he didn't get out quickly enough. I don't know if it was the coach's instructions, but given his size, you'd expect him to come out a lot more and impose himself on every cross/corner.

Do you know if Marcin speaks English?

I think so. He spent three years at Chelsea and given the good level of French he had when he arrived with us (after only two years in Paris), I don't think he had any trouble learning English.

One of Patterson's biggest qualities is the way he doesn't get flustered by anything, he's very level-headed and calm. How does Bulka compare in that sense?

I find Bulka rather expressive. It's not unusual to see him haranguing his team-mates or celebrating after a major save. He's not eccentric either, but he knows how to motivate his defence.

After that, he also knows how to keep his head. For example, during a derby in Monaco, he saved two penalties in the same match. For a high-stakes match in a particular context, that's not an insignificant performance.

For a goalkeeper who is so tall, how does he deal with low shots into the bottom corner of the net?

In the 2023/2024 season, I thought he was pretty good in this area and wasn't shocked by it. Last season, there were a few games where I didn't think he was as good in that respect. Particularly, there was a game at Strasbourg where he conceded two goals that he could have avoided but that shouldn't be the basis for judging his level. Having an off-game can happen.

To compensate, here's his best game with Nice last year, against PSG in Paris.

25 is still young for a goalkeeper. Do you believe he can keep improving?

Yes, he is very young for a goalkeeper and I think England will do him good. He's very physical and I think he should take advantage of all this to improve his aerial game. He's strong and there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to do that. We'll also have to see what your system of play is and whether he'll be called on a lot in the build-up or not.

As a youngster he's played at Chelsea and also PSG. That's really high pedigree, do you think he could reach those heights in his career?

As mentioned in the previous question, he still has room for improvement, so I don't think this type of club is unattainable for him. He can aim for this kind of club in a few seasons' time, I think, by being more regular too.

Apparently he's good friends with Thibaut Courtois from their time at Chelsea, are there any similarities in their game?

There are worse comparisons to be made! I'm not an expert on the qualities of goalkeepers, but yes, I'd say he's close. Bulka, on the other hand, seems a lot stronger - but maybe I haven't seen Courtois up close enough.

Finally, what are Bulka's biggest strengths and weaknesses?

His physique may be both! He's imposing in goal, so he makes a lot of saves, but being so tall, he must also have a better aerial game. We'll also have to look at his footwork, which has alternated between the good and the not-so-good, so it's hard for me to make up my mind. In any case, he experienced different styles of play at Nice, where he was called upon to help build the game.

At Nice he showed that his mental strength was one of his greatest assets. In 2022, just when he could have been a starter following the departure of our keeper (Walter Benitez, who has actually now signed for Crystal Palace), INEOS recruited Kasper Schmeichel, leaving him as a substitute keeper. He didn't give up, he didn't try to leave, he worked hard and the following season he became the first-choice keeper.

It's a shame to see him leave. If he goes to Sunderland, I hope you take care of him in any case.

OTD: JI DONG-WON SIGNEDOn this day in 2011, Ji Dong-Won came to Wearside from South Korea. He is best remembered for sco...
30/06/2025

OTD: JI DONG-WON SIGNED
On this day in 2011, Ji Dong-Won came to Wearside from South Korea. He is best remembered for scoring a last minute winner against Manchester City on New Years' Day 2012.

Ji Dong-Won was signed for Sunderland by Steve Bruce in the summer transfer window of 2011 from South Korean side Jeonnam Dragons on a three year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £2m. He would fail to make an impression in the Premier League and just couldn't hit the ground running, after all he was still a young lad and had only played one full season of professional football in his homeland.

In pre-season he impressed in the 'Barclays Asia Cup', scoring four goals and grabbing two assists, however, he failed to replicate that form in competitive football. He scored his first goal in the 90th minute against Chelsea in a 2-1 defeat at the Stadium of Light, a consolation goal but this wouldn't be his only last minute goal! Steve Bruce was dismissed as manager and replaced by Martin O'Neill who didn't favour the South Korean front man, although he would come off the bench with less than a quarter of an hour left on the clock on New Year's Day to score that now famous winner against Manchester City.

Ji made the run in injury time, played it into Sessegnon before the Benin international slipped it back through to the substitute who was 'onside', kept on by Gareth Barry, before he rounded England keeper Joe Hart and tapped into the empty net, resulting in a 1-0 win and writing himself into Sunderland folklore.

Paolo Di Canio reportedly turned down a £5m bid for him in the summer transfer window of 2013 and Ji would start under the Italian but fell out of favour after several below-par performances. He was humiliated by Di Canio, who let him start the second half against MK Dons before subbing him off - allowing the Sunderland fans to cheer his substitution, rather than do it at half time. The following week he was brought off at half time after pulling out of a header against Crystal Palce. Paolo said: “I cannot change the heart of my players. One time we did a delivery very well and Ji didn’t push his head forward. I am more disappointed than him. I think also the fans [were] because the expectation on him is very high because he can do much better, even in only keeping the ball. We don’t ask the moon: Not lose every ball under pressure. The young fella (Connor Wickham), he can keep the ball much better if they have more desire; and if they play less empty in the brain they can keep the ball much better. At this moment they are empty.”

Things were no better for Ji under Gus Poyet. He was loaned out to FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga before he left Wearside permanently to sign for German giants Borussia Dortmund, he would fail to make an impression at the Signal Iduna Park and would return to Augsburg permanently this time before he enjoyed a spell with FSV Mainz 05 where he was loaned to Eintracht Braunschweig. He was at FC Seoul of the K League 1 between 2021 and 2023 and currently plays for Suwon FC of the same division.

OTD: JIMMY MCNAB IN MEMORIAMOn this day in 2006 Jimmy McNab sadly died. The Scottish defender made 323 appearances for S...
29/06/2025

OTD: JIMMY MCNAB IN MEMORIAM
On this day in 2006 Jimmy McNab sadly died. The Scottish defender made 323 appearances for Sunderland as part of the most settled back five in England, scoring 18 goals.

Born in Scotland in 1940, he signed into Sunderland's youth academy as an apprentice in 1957 and would make his full debut for Sunderland a year later, the first of a staggering 323 appearances, in which he scored 18 goals between 1958 and 1967. A left half by trade, McNab soon became a fans favourite at Roker Park, especially when he became the first choice on the left and fellow Scot, Jim Baxter on the right. He was one of the main components in Alan Brown's 1964 promotion team from the old Second Division.

His career was plagued with injuries otherwise he'd have likely featured even more, two broken legs and two broken noses during his time at SAFC hindered his appearance record! He never played internationally for Scotland, apart from at schoolboy level. He was also the first player to have his testimonial at the Stadium of Light, in 1999 when he was a substitute at the age of 49. That didn't stop him from coming on to convert a penalty though!

McNab left Wearside in 1967 to sign for Preston North End, where he would spend another seven years as a first team regular at Deepdale, playing a key part in their promotion team of 1971 which saw them lift the Third Division trophy. He ended his career in 1976 with Stockport County.

He passed away aged 66 on 29th June 2006.

323 appearances and 18 goals.

MORE EXCITING RUMOURSSunderland's transfer business is looking to be very ambitious this summer, and we've heard a handf...
28/06/2025

MORE EXCITING RUMOURS

Sunderland's transfer business is looking to be very ambitious this summer, and we've heard a handful of very positive and solid transfer links recently...

MARCIN BULKA
This was the first of the three players in this roundup to emerge as a Sunderland target. Bulka plays in goal for OGC Nice and stands at 6 foot 6. Known as one of the most exciting goalkeepers in Europe, football fans on the continent have actually been left wondering how Sunderland will be able to pull this off - beating off competition from the likes of Galatasaray and others. Fabrizio Romano reckons this deal is close to completion (although not yet finalised of course) and Sunderland's incoming sporting director, Florent Ghisolfi, has played a crucial role in sorting this transfer out. The pair worked together at the Ligue 1 club. Reports have claimed that Nice are holding out for a fee of 20 million Euros. Meanwhile, with Bulka entering the last 12 months of his contract, Sunderland will be trying to reduce that price as much as they can and possible entice Nice with a slightly lower offer. With the towering shot-stopper supposedly keen on the move, this is certainly one to keep an eye on.

HABIB DIARRA
This has been a fast-moving news story which seemed to come out of nowhere during Friday. Diarra is a Senegalese playmaker who plays for Strasbourg in Ligue 1. The 21-year-old enjoyed a successful campaign last season, helping the club to a seventh-placed finish. Leeds United have been the favourites to sign the attacking midfielder all summer but yesterday it was reported that Sunderland have swooped in with a big-money move to bring the Senegal international to Wearside. He is expected to be the Jobe Bellingham replacement after our fan favourite went to Dortmund earlier in the window. Fabrizio Romano seems convinced that this is a done deal. He's reported that the initial fee will be 31.5m Euros with a further 4m Euros in add-ons. Diarra's medical is already booked in with the Black Cats and it's "here we go, 100%". Not only would this be a record fee for Sunderland, blowing Enzo Le Fee's deal out of the water already, but it would also be a record sale for the French side.

MATTEO GUENDOUZI
Now, this third player has not been linked as solidly as the first two, but it's a name you may be more familiar with from his time at Arsenal. Guendouzi has been at Lazio since summer 2023 (initially on loan) and is known to be a hard-working, deep-lying midfielder. He can be creative on the ball but is defensively very capable. The 26-year-old has got a reputation for being hot-headed but last season was still a regular in the Italian side. He played in all but one of their league fixtures and made nine Europa League appearances. Lazio are experiencing financial difficulties which means they could be open to selling the Frenchman this summer. Guendouzi also knows RLB extremely well from their time in Lorient's youth setup and, just like Enzo, this connection could prove vital to getting any potential deal over the line.

OTD: PHIL BARDSLEY BORNBorn on this day is former Sunderland fullback Phil Bardsley, who spent six years on Wearside. Ba...
28/06/2025

OTD: PHIL BARDSLEY BORN
Born on this day is former Sunderland fullback Phil Bardsley, who spent six years on Wearside. Bardsley was 22 years old when we signed him in January 2008, with manager Roy Keane making use of his connections with the Red Devils.

Bardsley made his debut in a 2-0 win over Birmingham City, and played 11 times after signing in January. At the end of that season he had beaten relegation with us for the first time, but certainly not the last. The following season, the right back scored his first goal for the club, netting in a 2-1 win in a League Cup fixture against Nottingham Forest. Despite being briefly usurped by Pascal Chimbonda, 'Bardo' quickly regained his place as first choice right back and ended the season with 28 appearances.

In the 2009/10 season, Phil started as first-choice right back under new manager Steve Bruce before being displaced, again momentarily, this time by January loan signing Alan Hutton. Disgruntled by a lack of playing time, Bardsley considered leaving Sunderland. I mean, I would be a bit miffed falling down the pecking order at the hands of Pascal Chimbonda and Alan Hutton. However, the Hutton deal wasn’t made permanent and this persuaded Bardo to stay.

The next season was Bardsley’s most influential season in term of goals, although he was often deployed at left back. He grabbed his first league goal for the lads from 25 yards in a win against Aston Villa, the only goal of the game. Three matches later, he scored another long-range effort in a 4-2 loss to Chelsea. The versatility and consistency of the fullback earned him Sunderland’s Player of the Season award that year.

The 2011/12 season got off to a bad start for Bardsley. He was sent off in a 1-0 defeat against the Mags. That season, we finished 13th and he played a total of 31 Premier League matches under new boss Martin O’Neill. Missing the start of the next season due to injury, Bardsley returned to the side amidst our struggles near the bottom of the table. The infamous Paulo Di Canio replaced O’Neill, and everything seemed to implode for Bardsley. He and Matt Kilgallon missed the final day of the season against Spurs, after they were spotted in a casino lying in £50 notes. Naturally, the insane Italian was furious, likely spitting on top of his head multiple times and punching through the dressing room walls as he declared that the pair would never play for Sunderland again! Hopefully PDC didn't try to fight the former Man United man - we all saw how that ended for Wayne Rooney.

Relegated to the under-21s, it was a broken foot that proved to be lucky for Bardsley, who managed to stay at Sunderland. His knackered foot hindered any potential sale to another team. Soon, the Di Canio regime was toppled and Bardsley could return to the side. When Gus Poyet replaced Di Canio, his first move was to reinstate the right back into the side. However, Bardsley’s reintegration into the fold wouldn’t be smooth - he scored an own goal in a 4-0 loss to Swansea on his return to first team action!

His form improved throughout the season as he regained fitness and his highlight as a Sunderland player came in the League Cup semi-final against his former club, Manchester United. His long-range shot was fumbled by David De Gea in the dying minutes of extra time. Despite Javier Hernandez equalising just a few seconds later, the lads famously got through in the worst penalty shootout of all time. Bardsley went on to play the full match at Wembley, where we would eventually succumb to another Manchester side.

Since leaving Wearside, Bardsley played for Stoke City and Burnley, two sides you feel he is well suited to. He then went to Stockport where he generously donated all his wages to Stockport's community trust, although he only played twice in half a season there. He announced his retirement in June 2023, after injuries limited him to just six appearances in the previous three seasons. The deferral of his wages to charity suggests he has slightly mellowed in his old age, but at 40 today a birthday casino trip may still be on the cards?

Habib Diarra’s Wikipedia 😂 👏
28/06/2025

Habib Diarra’s Wikipedia 😂 👏

So have confirmed the final two pre-season fixtures. Thoughts on this schedule? 🤔
27/06/2025

So have confirmed the final two pre-season fixtures. Thoughts on this schedule? 🤔

THE SEAMSTRESS: A PLAY ABOUT SUNDERLAND BY NEIL ARMSTRONG AND PETER SPARK, SET IN 1894…TAKES PLACE AT NORTH BIDDICK SOCI...
27/06/2025

THE SEAMSTRESS: A PLAY ABOUT SUNDERLAND BY NEIL ARMSTRONG AND PETER SPARK, SET IN 1894…

TAKES PLACE AT NORTH BIDDICK SOCIAL CLUB ON AUGUST 7TH AND 8TH. CHECK IT OUT ⚽️

Contact: [email protected]

There’s a lot of road work going on around the ALS building today but rest assured we’re open til 5pm as usual. The SoL ...
27/06/2025

There’s a lot of road work going on around the ALS building today but rest assured we’re open til 5pm as usual. The SoL car park is available if you need to park up 🚗 Or you can order online for delivery or collection…

OTD: LILIAN LASLANDES SIGNEDOn this day in 2001, Lilian Laslandes joined Sunderland from Bordeaux for a fee of £3.6 mill...
27/06/2025

OTD: LILIAN LASLANDES SIGNED
On this day in 2001, Lilian Laslandes joined Sunderland from Bordeaux for a fee of £3.6 million. The striker was signed as a replacement for the legendary Niall Quinn, but didn’t quite live up to expectations...

Laslandes began his career at the rather late age of 20, signing for Saint-Seurin. He scored an impressive 10 goals in 33 appearances, which is a ratio of almost a goal every three games. He caught the eye of Auxerre, where he then played for five years, scoring 47 goals.

Lilian then went to Bordeaux on a free transfer in 1997, who were in need of a clinical goalscorer. He impressed again in his home country of France, scoring another 47 goals. His physicality and goalscoring record caught the eye of Peter Reid in 2001, as Niall Quinn was ageing and struggling with injuries. The transfer fee caused excitement among Sunderland fans, as Reid splashed over £3.5 million on the target man.

The France international made his debut in a 1-0 win against Ipswich, and played 12 league games. However, for Sunderland he didn’t look like a convincing striker at any level, never mind in the Premier League in place of Niall Quinn! In his fourth game at the club, he was unlucky to see a spectacular acrobatic effort crash back off the bar. This came in a League Cup tie at Sheffield Wednesday, where he had already grabbed his solitary goal for SAFC.

Had that gone in, perhaps history would have been different, fans would have viewed him differently and he'd be an international striker brimming with confidence. Instead, he became a striker who never really settled in the north east and reportedly didn't really fit in around the dressing room.

He became yet another striker to flop on Wearside, and a falling-out with Reid quickly made sure his time was numbered at Sunderland. After twelve league appearances and not a single league goal, he left with his tail between his legs on a loan deal to Koln.

Laslandes played just five games in Germany, failing to hit the back of the net. He then returned to France with a loan move to Bastia, before returning to Wearside for pre-season in 2003. Sunderland’s financial situation, along with the Frenchman’s shocking form, meant they were unable to find a willing buyer for Laslandes. He was released from his contract and went on to have spells with Nice and Bordeaux.

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