After suffering relegation with Aston Villa last season, Joleon Lescott is set to repeat the trick with Sunderland
It’s fair to say Sunderland supporters were not rushing to the nearest bookmaker to put a pound on their Premier League survival once they had confirmed the signing of Joleon Lescott in January.
After all, the 34-year-old had been relegated in disgrace with Aston Villa just a few months before, his season more reminiscent for ill-judged tweets than stirring defensive displays. And, after being released by Greek outfit AEK Athens after just three months, Lescott was hardly arriving at the Stadium of Light at the peak of his career.
Yet, if Sunderland supporters were worried about the former England international somehow making an already shaky backline even more susceptible, they needn’t have worried. Because, in three months on Wearside, Lescott has not even threatened to break into the starting XI.
As it stands, Lescott has only featured in 33 minutes of Premier League football since his return. Ironically, they all came in the final half hour of that stunning 4-0 anomalie away to Crystal Palace in early February.
Since then, he has taken on the guise of ‘forgotten man’ with Moyes seemingly unwilling to throw him into the action. Lescott certainly hasn’t worsened Sunderland’s defence but it’s fair to say he’s done absolutely nothing to improve it either.
In fact, you could make a claim that Lescott was the most pointless signing of the January transfer window. Yes, he arrived at Sunderland with bags of experience but, after his complete no-show, the Black Cats are actually in a far more precarious position now than they were three months ago.
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