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Sunderland placed several bids for the striker last summer but saw their attempts blocked by Kylian Mbappe
Alexandre Mendy has publicly criticised Caen’s ownership for not allowing him to join Sunderland last summer.
The French striker was heavily linked with a move to the North East during the off-season transfer window but saw the move fail despite multiple bids from Sunderland. The player and his agent expressed their desire to move to Wearside, but the move was blocked by Caen under their new owners.
It is believed that Sunderland had agreed a deal with Caen’s previous ownership with the goalposts moved by the new owners the club was taken over last summer. Caen are now owned in part by Kylian Mbappe. Indeed, Judging by his social media messages and talk in the press from the player and his agents at the time, Mendy was extremely keen to leave Caen, and his latest comments suggest he is still annoyed about events last summer.
Mendy has recorded 11 goals and two assists in 28 appearances, but Caen sit at the bottom of the Ligue 2 table. They trail 16th-placed Martigues by nine points and are 13 points behind 15th-placed Rodez. Amid Caen’s struggles this season, Mendy has now openly criticised the club’s leadership for blocking his move to Sunderland.
“It’s a reflection of our season,” he said. “I’m speaking for myself, but when you start a new season with a bad energy, everyone knows what happened during this transfer window for several players, this is what we’re seeing today. We’ll fight until the end, but you only reap what you sow.”
Back in September, Mendy said: “No, I’ve not recovered 100 per cent, there are still a few after-effects”, Mendy said via France Bleu. “The after-effects of what was said, what happened in the past and also everything to do with my family: having packed my bags, having thought about going elsewhere, all those things.
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“That will go away with time, but today I feel good on the pitch. The furniture has gone up but the boxes haven’t been unpacked yet. It’s taking a long time, there are a lot of boxes to unpack. We haven’t got the time yet, we’re concentrating on the football and when there’s the next break we’ll unpack everything.”
During last summer’s transfer window, Mendy also delivered a bombshell interview whereby the striker insisted that his head was already in Sunderland. He said: “I am waiting. With my family, we have planned. It is especially hard for my loved ones. We live in boxes. My head is in Sunderland. I do not see myself cheating while I have never cheated for the club. I have always given everything.
“It’s not something you can refuse, because it’s England, a football country. The coach has wanted me for a long time. It’s not just a question of money. Otherwise, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia. But it’s interesting for me and I don’t want to miss this opportunity. I also think about my family, my children. For my children’s education, it would be a good thing for them to discover a new country, a new language.”
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