Lee Cattermole wanted a new challenge when he left League One Sunderland to join Eredivisie outfit VVV Venlo
You can never begrudge a player for seeking a new challenge as he enters the autumn of his career. But maybe Lee Cattermole should have thought a little better about swapping Sunderland for VVV Venlo.
After all, he’s surely had enough of relegation, having suffered the ignominy of going from the Premier League to League One in just over a year as the Black Cats captain.
But, just weeks into his Eredivisie career, Cattermole is once again teetering over the trapdoor. VVV are 17th in the 18-team division and have lost five of their last seven league games with the former Wigan and Middlesbrough enforcer in the heart of their midfield.
To make matters worse, he endured an afternoon to forget last time out as Robert Maaskant’s side were swept away 4-1 by Fortuna Sittard. He gave away the free-kick from which hat-trick hero Mark Diemers fired home his second of the afternoon, producing the kind of typically late challenge Sunderland fans became all-too accustomed to, before coughing up possession as Amadou Ciss wrapped up a convincing win.
Cattermole admitted to the Chronicle that the time was right for a ‘new challenge’ when his contract at Sunderland was terminated with 12 months still remaining over the summer.
VVV is certainly proving to be a challenging environment.
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