Cattermole spent 10 years with the Black Cats but left the Stadium of Light this summer and has now found a new club.
A number of Sunderland fans have taken to Twitter to give their thoughts on Black Cats cult hero Lee Cattermole joining Dutch outfit VVV-Venlo following his departure from the Stadium of Light.
The 31-year-old, who made 261 appearances for Sunderland, left the Stadium of Light in July after a 10-year association with the Wearside club, telling fans in a club statement that it was “the right time to find a new challenge”.
Despite being linked with Championship side Sheffield Wednesday while former Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was their manager (Chronicle Live), Cattermole will now be playing professional football outside the UK for the first time in his career.
“The club arrived at the right time,” Cattermole told the Venlo website. “They offered me a new chance. I am therefore very happy that after so many seasons in England I can now work in the Netherlands at a great Eredivisie club such as VVV-Venlo. With my experience I can contribute to the development of this young team. I want to move forward with VVV.”
According to Chronicle Live, Cattermole’s contract had 12 months left to run but was mutually terminated to suit both parties, the player on a reported £40,000-per-week salary and the club having to trim their wage bill to comply with EFL financial fair play regulations.
Nonetheless, some Sunderland supporters seem to have taken the bittersweet news with a bit of a heavy heart and showed emotion on social media as the combative midfielder linked up with his new employers:
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