Sunderland dealt another blow as details of Jason Steele exit are disclosed

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Jason Steele has left League One Sunderland after one season, somehow getting a move to the Premier League with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Sunderland fans simply could not believe it when reports emerged that Jason Steele could be on his way to the Premier League.

Brighton and Hove Albion were understood to be interested in signing the goalkeeper, despite the fact that he struggled badly in a Sunderland side that finished bottom of the Championship last season and were relegated to League One.

Quite what Steele did during his time at the Stadium of Light to convince Chris Hughton that he was Premier League quality remains a mystery.

And, just two days after the news broke, the deal is now seemingly complete. The Sun reports that Brighton have signed the 27-year-old, who will act as back-up to Matt Ryan after the departure of Tim Krul.

But if Sunderland fans were hoping for a decent windfall for a player they signed from Blackburn for £500,000 last summer, they will be disappointed. The Sun adds that Steele has joined Brighton on a free transfer, despite the fact that he had three years left on his contract at Sunderland.

The only assumption can be that Sunderland knew they were unlikely to make a decent sum from Steele’s exit and simply wanted to get him out the door quickly in order to get him off the wage bill.

But, after leaving for absolutely nothing and costing £500,000, Steele is definitely up there with one of Sunderland’s worst signings of recent years. And there have been quite a few of them.