Sunderland sacked Ndong in early October.
Didier Ndong’s inability to find a new club could have Sunderland fans wondering if their club has cut off its nose to spite its face.
Ndong was finally shed from Sunderland’s books approaching a month ago, after the two parties reportedly reached an agreement that will see the Mackems due around £3.5 million upon the midfielder’s next move.
According to iSport in Ndong’s native Gabon, that stipulation has already put paid to his chances of joining Sports Club Libreville – a third division club he founded himself. While those at the Roker Report claim an unnamed club from the Welsh top flight have encountered a similar road block.
Ndong’s reported £30,000-a-week wages may be off the bill, but that £3.5 million might never be seen again at this rate.
Or might it? Although the 24-year-old’s Sunderland spell is a major blot on his copybook – after all, this is a man who, along with Papy Djilobodji, the defender whose Stadium of Light contract was finally settled on Wednesday, refused to report back from pre-season training at a club that had paid him a substantial amount of money over the previous two years – there were several clubs rumoured to be keen just a few months ago, Benfica and Torino being the most notable.
And the fact that neither of those – nor any club whose transfer windows are currently closed, i.e most of those with several million pounds in the bank – could even register Ndong until January is one probable reason behind his post-Sunderland struggle to find work.
Whether his fortunes will improve upon the removal of that particular hurdle remains to be seen, although the first month of 2019 is certainly the most likely timeframe for Ndong’s next move – even if he is forced to pay back some of the £3.5 million himself as a condition outlined by his new employer.
What poetic justice that would be.
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