Sunderland ups and downs

After their ten-year tenure in the Premier League ended in 2017, Sunderland has seen ups and downs throughout the course of the last eight seasons, spending time in all three of the top divisions of English football.

The Black Cats saw four seasons of League One play following back-to-back relegations until winning the playoffs in 2022 to return to the Championship, a move that resulted in ongoing pay bill variations.

Given that the Wearsiders have had a talented striker on their roster who has been attempting in vain to keep them in the top flight, it is not surprising to learn that a Premier League regular has been the team’s highest scorer over the last eight years.

However, in spite of his substantial estimated weekly pay of £80,000, Jermain Defoe was unable to keep the Mackems competitive in the 2016–17 season as they made their way back to the Championship after ten years at the top.

Having made his West Ham debut in 2000 and then scored 13 goals in his first 12 games on loan for AFC Bournemouth in the third division, Defoe was always someone who could be counted on to score goals for the majority of his career.

He found the target more than 100 times in two spells at Tottenham Hotspur after scoring 29 goals in 93 league games for the Hammers in 2004. Between 2008 and 2009, he had a one-year break from Fratton Park with Portsmouth.

By the time Sunderland inquired about the striker’s availability, he was making a name for himself with Toronto FC in the Major League Soccer. In January 2015, the Black Cats were able to entice the England international back to the country with a three-and-a-half year contract, which he used to help lead them to safety in the Premier League.

Four goals in 17 games undoubtedly aided them, and he won over his new fan base with a spectacular volley in a 1-0 victory against bitter rivals Newcastle United. Sunderland just avoided relegation in 17th position.

The next season was much the same for those at the Stadium of Light, as they finished in 17th place for the second time in a row despite Defoe’s 18 goals in all competitions keeping them afloat. However, even he was unable to halt the downturn in the subsequent year.

Despite scoring fifteen goals this season, Sunderland finished last in the Premier League, forcing the striker to transfer across the nation to rejoin Bournemouth, where he started his career.

After playing for Rangers in Scotland, he returned to the Stadium of Light in 2022 for one last game and made seven more appearances for Sunderland before ending his illustrious career.

Fabio Borini, Jack Rodwell, and Jack Clarke are all highly ranked on Sunderland’s top salary list.

While it’s impossible to know every detail of a football player’s contract, Capology provides us with the most accurate estimate of salaries of any website, and the numbers for Sunderland over the past year are very intriguing.

During the Black Cats’ Premier League tenure, Fabio Borini was the next biggest earner for the team behind Defoe. The Italian striker was reportedly paid £60,000 a week, while Yann M’Vila was reportedly paid £50,000 in English pounds every seven days.

While former Manchester United player John O’Shea was rumored to be getting a cool £47,000 per week to play in the red and white stripes, local boys Lee Cattermole and Adam Johnson were purportedly making £50,000 a week.

For the 2016–17 season, Adnan Januzaj (£60,000) and Patrick van Aanholt (£55,000) were signed to lucrative contracts, but fans will never have pleasant memories of Jack Rodwell’s £70,000-per-week season in the Championship.

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