Sunderland have spent the summer selling players who lack the desire to play for the Black Cats in a new era on Wearside.
Sunderland defender Lamine Kone has been at the centre of fan criticism in recent seasons, mainly down to the part the Ivorian played in the Black Cats’ back-to-back relegations from the Premier League and Championship.
Kone joined Sunderland in 2016 and had a fantastic season with the Wearsiders, but he has repeatedly looked for ways to find a move away from the North-East ever since.
Now the 29-year-old has got his wish, with the central defender joining RC Strasbourg on loan, and Sunderland fans have taken to social media to react to the news.
Kone got off to the best possible start in his Sunderland career, scoring a goal that helped the Black Cats win 2-1 at home to footballing giants Manchester United.
However, after Sunderland found themselves in the second tier last season, Kone looked a different player at the heart of former manager Chris Coleman’s defence.
The Ivory Coast international only featured in 24 games last term, playing just 2106 minutes across the campaign, and the Sunderland faithful were often suspicious of the player when sidelined through injury.
The player, who has not looked anything like he did when he joined the former Premier League regulars, has now found a way out of Sunderland but only on a season-long loan deal.
However, the French side have seemingly agreed to pay all of Kone’s wages, something that manager Jack Ross could not afford to turn down, with the player having been one of the highest earners at Sunderland.
And 42-year-old Ross will be keen to put the money freed by Kone’s transfer into more signings; particularly more players who can assist with the Scotsman’s target of gaining promotion to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Here is some of the best of the reaction to the news…
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