Sunderland chairman warns fans not to expect big-money signings
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has told his club’s fans not to expect any players to be signed in big-money deals.
The Black Cats allowed star striker Kenwyne Jones to move to their English Premier League rivals in an eight million pound deal, but Quinn told BBC Look North that there was no value in the transfer market.
He said that: "We took the position on Kenwyne and felt it was the right thing for the club. I can't see that being reciprocated in the prices being bandied about."
The news comes despite manager Steve Bruce telling reporters yesterday that he was desperate to sign a new striker to fill the void left by the departed Jones. He can rely on Darren Bent to grab goals after the England cap netted 25 times in all competitions last season. Beyond Bent though, he does not have any reliable goalscorers with Fraizer Campbell — who is 22 and scored just four times in 31 matches last season — 20-year-old Martyn Waghorn and 19-year-old on-loan Manchester United man Danny Welbeck as the only strikers in his first-team squad.
Should Bruce decide to plunder his reserves for back-up, he has David Healy at his disposal, who is Northern Ireland’s all-time goalscorer. Bruce has been linked with moves for West Ham United’s Carlton Cole and Rennes’ Ghanian 2010 FIFA World Cup star Asamoah Gyan, but with Quinn’s announcement, those deals look to be dead in the water.
Quinn added that he took the decision for the health of the club in the long-term and to avoid slipping into administration like Portsmouth did last term. He said that: "I will not put this club at risk just to keep fans happy who don't understand, but should look at what happened to Portsmouth."
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