According to Chris Young of the Sunderland Echo, Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat is disappointed with the form of his summer signings in the Premier League
Sunderland spent a hefty amount in the summer, in and around £30m on eight new arrivals. It was a move by Advocaat to improve the side that only just survived in the Premier League last season, finishing just three points above relegated Hull City.
However, it hasn’t gone to plan as of yet. Sunderland sit bottom of the league table following their 3-0 defeat to Manchester United on just two points from the opening seven games in the Premier League.
Many of Sunderland’s new signings have struggled to shine in the Sunderland side this term and £12.5m man Jeremain Lens has been particularly disappointing after high expectations for the Dutch winger.
Advocaat said:
“It’s difficult because we brought some new players in and you hope they will do that along with the players left. “But, at the moment, they don’t seem to be making a difference.”
Advocaat did, strangely, name the players that he felt were not good enough, a bold move to publicly criticise individual players.
“What I don’t like is to blame players, If you win, you win together, and you lose together. But when someone asked me if I thought Adam Johnson had not had the best game I agreed. He’s a player who with his touch can do something, but if he starts giving balls away then it’s quite simple. I thought (Lee) Cattermole did well apart from the first goal where he lost his man. Besides that, I thought Patrick van Aanholt could have come in. The second goal after half-time was also a joke. The first half – we were well-organised and tried to play a little bit. But if you are 1-0 down and they get the second one, then the game is over.”
