Sunderland returned to the Premier League in 2025 after eight years of absence and spent cash during the summer transfer period.
The black cat marked the window by spending more than £100 million on new additions, with the likes of Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra moving to the Stadium of Light.
But before, Sunderland mostly signed some legends in the game. From Virgil van Dick to Kevin de Bruin, the Black Cats have almost landed these world-class stars.
10 players mostly signed by Sunderland
10
Virgil Van Dijk
Between 2013 and 2015, Virgil Van Dijk starred in Celtic, while Gus Poyet was in charge of the Hikari Stadium in Sunderland.
Van Dijk previously admitted to having a conversation about signing Black Cats during Poyet’s tenure, but instead chose another team with red and white stripes in Southampton.
9
Kevin de Bruin
In 2011, Kevin De Bruyne came to Belgium with Genk and was appointed Steve Bruce, then Sunderland boss.
The Black Cat and Aston Villa were fighting it for De Bruin, but it was Chelsea who won the race. Although it didn’t work for him at Stamford Bridge, he became a Manchester City Premier League legend.
Kevin de Bruyne Record vs Sunderland | |
|---|---|
game | 5 |
I’ll win | 4 |
draw | 0 |
loss | 1 |
the goal | 2 |
assist | 3 |
8
Diego Maradona
In 1977, Diego Maradona entered the scene as a teenager, making her Argentinean debut.
At the club level, the attacker was with the Argentino junior, but he actually wanted to move to the UK and sign Sunderland. Unfortunately for the black cat, Argentina has declared Maradona “cannot translate.” Daniel Arcucci, an Argentinian biographer, said:
“The first offer Maradona received was from Sunderland, England in 1977, and Maradona wanted to go. He said, ‘If you don’t sell me to Sunderland, I’m retired.’ At the time, we had no democratic government and they declared that they could not transfer him.
7
Luis Suarez
Sunderland was looking for a new striker for his partner Darren Bent in 2010, and the guy might have been Luis Suarez.
Suarez was at Ajax at the time, and Sunderland sent scouts to see him, but instead signed Ghana’s Asamore Gan following the World Cup.
6
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Sunderland tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic twice under Peter Reed early in the iconic striker’s career.
The Swedes have scored fun goals with Ajax and have moved on to stars Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Maine UTD.
“When he was at Ajax, we moved to the Stadium of Light, so I went. We had a meeting. We thought we had a chance, but we offered no £600, but they wanted more.”
5
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Reed also tried to sign Rood van Nistelroy for Sunderland when the Dutch were with Healenben.
The striker was still young and had a asking price of £5 million. Van Nistellouis signed PSV Eindhoven before becoming a Manchester United legend.
“He’s a quality player and the guy he was trying to buy three seasons ago when he was still unknown. That was right after we returned to our first division (the championship).
“I think he was only 19 when he was playing for Heerenveen. But they were quoting £5 million, but at the time it wasn’t too expensive for players.
4
Diego Forlan
Another former male UTD striker who could play for Sunderland was Diego Forlan. He wanted former Red Devils teammate Roy Keene during his time as the Black Cats manager.
However, instead of signing Sunderland, Foran moved from Villarreal to Atletico Madrid in 2007.
“Roy Keene called me when he was in Sunderland. ‘Diego’ he said.
3
Paul Scholes
1996/97 The Premier League season was his final season at Roker Park, ending with the relegation of the Black Cat.
But if Sunderland signed Paul Shoals from Mann UTD, that might have been different. The iconic British midfielder has been in his third year as an expert at Old Trafford, and despite the Black Cat’s eagerness to trade, he was never available.
Paul Shoals Records vs Sunderland | |
|---|---|
game | 15 |
I’ll win | 13 |
draw | 2 |
loss | 0 |
the goal | 4 |
2
Robbie Keene
Perhaps one of the most underrated strikers in Premier League history, Robbie Keene became more likely to become a Sunderland player in 2002.
In fact, the Blackcats agreed to a fee with Irish forward Leeds, but Keene joined Tottenham a year later and refused to move north.
1
Joe Hart
For goalkeeper Joe Hart, the four-time Premier League Golden Globe winner, the move to Light of Light was on the card in 2016.
David Moet was in charge and said the club was able to land the English shotstopper, but Hart himself said he had stole Sunderland and instead signed a loan to Turin on the Italian side.
