Sunderland may be without Didier Ndong during the African Cup of Nations.
Didier Ndong in action for Gabon
Lorient president Loic Fery has told Ouest-France that he rejected three offers for Didier Ndong before finally selling to Sunderland on deadline day.
With Sunderland desperate to bring in new faces on the final day of the transfer window, they swooped to sign Lorient star Ndong – with the fee astonishing many.
As claimed by BBC Sport, Sunderland forked out around £13.6m to sign a player very few Premier League fans had heard of, but the Black Cats’ investment suggest they firmly believe Ndong can be a star at the Stadium of Light.
Didier Ndong tackles PSG winger Lucas Moura
A Gabon international with 18 caps to his name, Ndong spent just over 18 months at Lorient having signed from Tunisian side CS Sfaxien in January 2015, and it’s clear that Sunderland’s offer was simply too good to turn down.
Lorient president Loic Fery has spoken to Ouest-France about his decision to sell one of the club’s top players on the final day of the transfer window, having lost their opening three games of the new Ligue 1 season.
Fery stated that Ndong has left in ‘exceptional conditions’ due to the magnitude of Sunderland’s offer, claiming the deal is worth more than the move which saw Ousmane Dembele leave Rennes for Borussia Dortmund this summer.
General view – Stadium of Light Sunderland
He continued by saying that he rejected three bids for Ndong, but Sunderland’s offer was simply too good to reject, meaning the midfielder’s move to Stadium of Light was agreed in the final hours of the transfer window.
However, Fery pointed out something that could be a concern to Sunderland – Ndong’s participation in the African Cup of Nations. The 22-year-old should be a key player for host nation Gabon in January, and Fery suggested that Lorient were more willing to do a deal as they couldn’t count on him to be available for the whole season.
Didier Ndong in action with Edinson Cavani
“The first thing is that Didier Ndong has not been sold by FC Lorient, it was bought by Sunderland!” said Fery. “He left in exceptional conditions. This move is, for example, greater than that of Ousmane Dembele.”
“The deal does not happen overnight. Three times we refused the departure of Didier Ndong, with offers of 12 to 14 and 16 million euros. But when the last offer, €20million, and probably a little more with the bonus, arrived, his departure became inevitable for several reasons.”
“On the one hand because there was this offer, which represents 50% of the budget of Lorient, but also because the player could increase his salary by 10 or 12% (five-year contract). Knowing that he must also participate in the African Cup of Nations (in January), we were not sure we could count on him a lot this year,” he added.
Do you think Ndong is a good signing for Sunderland?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
