Sunderland have failed with a move for Bournemouth winger Max Gradel.
Sunderland manager Simon Grayson has revealed to The Northern Echo that the club have missed out on a deal for Bournemouth-owned winger Max Gradel, who chose Toulouse instead.
The Black Cats continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night, with George Honeyman’s opener being cancelled out David Jones’ equaliser.
New manager Grayson has picked up five points from his first three league games as Sunderland boss, with summer signings such as Tyias Browning, Aiden McGeady and Lewis Grabban already showing positive signs.
However, Grayson is still in the market for more new signings ahead of the transfer deadline in two weeks, but Sunderland appear to have missed out on a top target in Bournemouth’s Max Gradel.
Gradel, 29, impressed in French football with Saint-Etienne, hitting 31 goals in 115 games before joining Bournemouth in the summer of 2015, but his time on the South Coast has been frustrating, making just 23 appearances in the Premier League for the Cherries.
The Ivorian international worked with Grayson at Leeds United with great effect, notching 25 goals in 85 games under Grayson’s tutelage to earn his big move to Saint-Etienne in 2012 – and a reunion has been mooted.
Grayson has admitted to The Northern Echo that Sunderland did want to reunite with Gradel at the Stadium of Light, and even had an agreement with Bournemouth over a loan deal – but Gradel has decided to move elsewhere.
Gradel has penned a season-long loan deal with Toulouse, with Grayson revealing that the winger felt he needed to return to France at this stage, but the Sunderland boss feels that it just goes to show the calibre of player he is targeting.
“We spoke to Max, but he eventually decided to go to France,” said Grayson. “We had agreed something with Bournemouth and he is a good player that I wanted to bring to the club – it shows you where we are with the players we are looking at. That would have been a big signing for us, but he just felt that his family wanted to go back to France. That was disappointing, but it is part and parcel of football,” he added.
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