Anderlecht owner Marc Coucke has explained why they were forced to sell Nilsson Angulo to Sunderland at the end of the January transfer window.
Voetbal 24 cover comments from him today after he appeared on De Tafel van Gert. While on there he explained the ‘controversial’ €20m sale to Sunderland earlier this month.
Angulo joined Sunderland on deadline day as a direct replacement for Simon Adingra. He left to join AS Monaco in Ligue 1, despite only joining the Black Cats in the summer. That left a hole to be filled in Regis Le Bris’ squad, and they quickly wrapped up a deal for Angulo.
He’d been impressing at Anderlecht since joining in a €1.9m deal in 2022. That had alerted clubs and reports in Belgium stated that he wanted to move on last summer.
Sunderland offer had to be expected
Anderlecht convinced him to stay and he’s since shone this season, with seven goals and eight assists in 30 games. Those numbers ultimately convinced Sunderland that €20m was a figure worth paying.
The decision to sell in January has led to some concerns at Anderlecht, though. Fans are certainly unhappy after losing a key player midway through the campaign. Coucke, though, insists that is just the financial reality at the club.
“If you don’t play European football for a season, you’re in a situation where you have to sell to keep the club healthy,” he explains.
Voetbal 24 then add that Anderlecht ‘couldn’t ignore’ such a figure, especially when Angulo cost just €2m in the first place. It’s a ‘huge profit that the Belgian side simply could not afford to miss out on.