History does not look too fondly on Roberto di Fanti’s disastrous spell as Sunderland’s director of football.
In that ill-fated summer of 2013, Paulo di Canio’s right-hand man brought a grand total of ten new faces to Wearside, including the £6.5 million Emmanuele Giaccherini, Jozy ‘one goal in 42 games’ Altidore and a whole host of absolute unknowns.
But just 48 hours after Sunderland edged out Ipswich Town in a nervy League One clash, one of Di Fanti’s most forgettable signings was ripping Celtic to shreds during a Europa League victory that will go down in Sparta Prague’s history.
A £1.5 million addition from Goteborg, David Moberg Karlsson failed to make a single Premier League appearance during his year with the Black Cats before returning to Scandinavia for a £1 million loss.
But maybe Di Fanti saw something special in the speedy winger after all.
Because it was he, one of a countless number of ill-fated Sunderland signings, who inspired Sparta Prague to a stunning 4-1 win at Parkhead last night.
The Swede, who produced eight goals and six assists in 2019/20, tore Celtic’s defence apart again and again, breezing past Shane Duffy to serve up Lukas Julis’s hat-trick goal on a silver platter.
He was also a crossbar away from netting a stunning volley at one of Europe’s most histortic arenas.
It is fair to say that, seven years since Di Fanti’s summer splurge, Sunderland and Moberg Karlsson have gone their separate ways.
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