An imaginary stadium's modelled and rendered.
Indeed, getting onto this list is no easy feat. Following a lengthy run through the archives, it became evident that the club have carried out some truly awful business over the last 24 years.
In truth, the original list consisted of at least 12 names, but after careful consideration, it was whittled down to just five.
While there are some names who many might believe should be on the list, several factors were considered, with transfer fee, impact and legacy all factors in the final decision.
Jack Rodwell
Perhaps Sunderland’s worst signing of the Premier League era, it is no surprise that Jack Rodwell has made the list.
When Sunderland signed Rodwell in 2014 from Premier League champions, Manchester City, for a fee in the region of £10m, the transfer was regarded as a superb piece of business by the Black Cats. The then 23-year-old had high potential and already had three England caps to his name.
Given the fee and potential of the midfielder, Rodwell never lived up to expectations. Following a string of poor seasons in the Premier League, he was relegated with the club to the Championship.
He only made two league appearances in the Championship despite being on £70,000 a week, as reported by The Athletic. To add insult to injury, the Englishman was the only player who did not have a wage deduction written in his contract.
Jozy Altidore
Jozy Altidore was one of a host of Sunderland signings during the short but chaotic reign of Paolo Di Canio.
Having signed for a reported £6m from AZ Alkmaar, Altidore endured a torrid time in the North East. During his time on Wearside, the striker only managed one Premier League goal in 42 appearances.
Obviously, the American’s goal tally was abysmal, but his performances left fans wondering how Altidore ever became a professional footballer in the first place.
Intriguingly, Altidore was involved in one of the greatest deals the club has ever done. Somehow, the Black Cats convinced Toronto to swap the forward for Jermain Defoe, who went on to become one of Sunderland’s greatest players in recent years.
Didier Ndong
If one signing could sum up how wasteful Sunderland were with money, it would be Didier Ndong.
In 2016, the Wearsiders broke their transfer record and signed Didier N’Dong from FC Lorient for a reported fee of £13.6m. To this day, the midfielder remains the most expensive player in the club’s history.
