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There was once a time when Kristjaan Speakman was at the club, and there were more than a few who weren’t convinced by his work, particularly through the often month-long quests to sign strikers.
It was during this time that Sunderland recruited young players for small fees, with the aim of one day selling on developed players for a healthy profit.
Some of these players proved to be not up to the task and were moved swiftly on; yet the sale of Eliezer Mayenda to Rennes for around €25 million is the latest in a line of player departures that’ve shown that the process set in motion by Speakman is alive and well, and doing exactly what we hoped it would do.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Yoane Wissa of Newcastle United and Eliezer Mayenda of Sunderland challenge during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland at St James’ Park on March 22, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: Yoane Wissa of Newcastle United and Eliezer Mayenda of Sunderland challenge during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland at St James’ Park on March 22, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Getty Images
Mayenda was signed for roughly £650,000 three years ago and left after eighteen goals and assists in seventy two appearances. His departure brought us a very healthy profit for a player who was third-choice striker and started just eight games last season.
Three years ago, around the time when Mayenda was signed, Sunderland were starting on the process of trying to become more self-sufficient by making a profit on players we paid very little for.
He was raw when we signed him, and it took months of patience and a full pre-season under his belt to become the clinical striker we knew he could be. This summer, ‘the model’ kicked in for him, and he departed with Sunderland £20-odd million richer.
Mayenda is simply the latest player on this production line — something that’s shown patience in ‘the model’ and the way Sunderland do things these days. For the fourth summer in a row, a player has been sold for big profit, a pattern which has been followed by us spending the money we’ve acquired through the sales each summer.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 24: Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham celebrates after the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final match between Sheffield United and Sunderland at Wembley Stadium on May 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 24: Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham celebrates after the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final match between Sheffield United and Sunderland at Wembley Stadium on May 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images)
CameraSport via Getty Images
This was something that required patience, and at times it felt as though we were perhaps made to wait a bit too long for pieces to fall into place, but now they’re doing just that and we’re reaping the rewards. Before Mayenda there was Jobe Bellingham; before Bellingham, there was Jack Clarke, and the year before Clarke, there was Ross Stewart.
Factor in the amount we paid for all of these players plus Mayenda, and it’s roughly £6 million. In terms of the money being reinvested into the club, this figure rises to something in the region of £75 million.
You can even add Tommy Watson, who despite being an academy product, was sold for around £10 million last summer, and this money can all go towards this overall total.
CARDIFF, WALES - AUGUST 10: Jack Clarke of Sunderland celebrates after he scores the second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Cardiff City FC and Sunderland AFC at The Cardiff City Stadium Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
CARDIFF, WALES - AUGUST 10: Jack Clarke of Sunderland celebrates after he scores the second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Cardiff City FC and Sunderland AFC at The Cardiff City Stadium Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
All those years ago, when Sunderland’s new way of working was being ironed out and first put into action, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’d be selling players each summer for £20 to £30 million.
We signed certain players with the intention of developing and selling them on in the hope of upgrading them — and this is where we are right now. If the sale of Mayenda can help towards recruiting forwards who turn out to be an improvement, then that, ladies and gentlemen, is ‘the model’.