Sunderland sold back-up goalkeeper Vito Mannone to Championship rivals Reading in the summer – and then failed to replace him adequately.
It’s easy to forget that Sunderland lost not one but two goalkeepers this summer. The huge void left by the departure of Jordan Pickford following his £30 million move to Everton (BBC) has been well publicised but its only now that the decision to sell back-up Vito Mannone too has come under scrutiny.
Sunderland made just £2 million from the sale of the Italian when he joined Reading in July (BBC), before then proceeding to spend less than that one two shot-stoppers – £500,000 Jordan Steele from Blackburn and free-agent Robbin Ruiter (below), who was released by FC Twente at the end of last season.
And it may not have escaped supporters’ notice that, while Ruiter came under fire for the second weekend in a row after allowing David Meyler’s tame albeit deflected effort to squirm in at the near post and hand Hull City a late equaliser, Mannone was in inspired form in Reading colours.
The 29-year-old ensured that The Royals escaped from their trip to Brentford with a point, making five saves compared to just one from David Bentley in the hosts’ net including a dramatic double stop late on.
While Mannone was never the most consistent of shot-stoppers, a particular 8-0 thrashing on the south coast sticks in the mind, selling the former Arsenal youngster for a fee as little as £2 million before failing to replace him adequately is exactly the sort of decision that has put Sunderland in this mess to begin with.
Ruiter may have earned mixed reviews so far but you would be hard pushed arguing the new number one is an upgrade on the recently departed number two.
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