It’s not often that Sunderland are snubbed in the transfer market, and one player may be regretting his decision to do so.
Sunderland are now viewed as one of the best places for younger players to come and cut their teeth.
Chris Rigg is a perfect example; he’s had links to any and every top club in Europe but is expected to pen his first professional deal with Sunderland this summer.
The Black Cats are showing with Rigg and with many others that they’re ready to give game time to these youngsters, and that often times they can flourish.
Although there’s a balance for Kristjaan Speakman to strike, Sunderland are relatively good at what they do.
One man may be regretting his decision to snub Sunderland
Sunderland brought in another host of youngsters last summer.
Some have done well and others not so, but one player who decided he didn’t want to move to the Stadium of Light was Edouard Michut.
The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Sunderland from PSG.
On the whole, he did OK; Michut festered 25 times in the Championship and scored once, coming into the fold more so in the latter part of the season.
Why didn’t Edouard Michut sign for Sunderland
Sunderland signed Michut on loan from French giants PSG, having the option to buy him for £2.15million.
Under Tony Mowbray, Michut was in and out of the side, and in and out of the treatment room as well.
But at the end of the campaign, Sunderland were keen on signing Michut permanently, only to then be snubbed by the central midfielder.
Michut later revealed his reasons, saying:
“The club offered me the opportunity to stay. It was my decision to leave Sunderland. We didn’t agree on certain contractual points. There were also a few things in the style of play that didn’t suit me.”
What is Edouard Michut up to now
Michut wasn’t short of suitors last summer, eventually signing for Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor on loan.
Since, Michut has featured 19 times in the Turkish top flight but is yet to record a single goal contribution.
Like at Sunderland last season, Michut has been in and out of the team but has become more of a regular starter in recent weeks, after making his move to Adana permanent earlier in the year.
But for Michut, after an underwhelming first season in the Turkish top flight, he may well be looking back on his decision to snub Sunderland with some regret.
The central midfield area has been a very contested one this season.
Options in the middle are very light with Dan Neil and Pierre Ekwah really the only two players, and Ekwah has been a source of criticism at times too, so Michut surely would’ve got game time.
Mowbray suggested that Michut struggled with the rigours of the Championship last season.
But so many players in the past have done so at first, then once getting to grips with that, become comfortable and go on to have bright careers.
Michut, should he have sticked it out for another season at least, may well have become a top Championship player by now, and he could even have been looking at a potential Premier League move in the summer.
He was a player with that kind of potential but he’s lost his chance now, and finds himself somewhat lingering in the middle of the Turkish top flight.
He may well go on to shine with Adana in the years to come, but not too many players break out of the Turkish league and into the Premier League or another top European league.