Sunderland sign Jozy Altidore

At the time, it appeared like the Black Cats may make money by signing American striker Jozy Altidore, one of those players from that era.

After making an impression during his debut with the NY Red Bulls in the US, Altidore moved quickly to Villareal in 2008.

To establish himself in Europe, Altidore would need several seasons. After joining AZ Alkmaar in 2011, the player experienced his first truly fruitful seasons in terms of goal scoring.

For instance, Altidore made 52 appearances for the Dutch team in 2011–12, netting 20 goals and dishing out four assists, 16 of which came in 34 Eredivisie games.

Corroborated by the fact that Altidore enjoyed a more successful season the next year, 2012–13, recording 31 goals and seven assists in 41 games.

After these seasons, Sunderland concluded that Altidore was worth their money, and in July 2013, the Black Cats finalized a contract for an estimated £9 million.

Jozy Altidore reflects on Sunderland move

Sadly for Sunderland, Altidore’s signing proved to be a complete failure, as he would never score as many goals in the Premier League as he had in the Netherlands.

It is hardly surprising, though, considering the player’s remarks from an interview about joining Sunderland.

Something felt off. Regarding his relocation to the Stadium of Light, Altidore said to VICE in 2020 that the timing was not ideal.

“I had spoken to other major teams, and Sunderland was not the greatest of them. Sunderland, though, was tangible.

“I vividly recall Earnest Stewart and Gertjan Verbeek telling me to hold off on accepting offers from Sunderland as they didn’t play the kind of game I played. They were quite forthright when they said that, even with the large transfer money, it would be disastrous if I moved to Sunderland.

But because the contract was lucrative in England, my father really wanted me to move there. What would happen if I got hurt in Arizona? That contract might not have been available to me after that. Thus, it was a challenging and sensitive choice. I visited Sunderland.

Altidore continued, saying that the Sunderland agreement was pushed by his father and agent because of the money available in the Premier League.

“My father and my agents discussed money,” the USMNT forward continued.

The contract I had at Sunderland allowed me to ensure my future.

“I was a young man. Had I been aware of what I know now, I would have chosen differently.”

The Jozy Altidore trade was certain to collapse.

Even while we would never blame Altidore’s choice, it is maybe not surprising that the player failed on the field in England given that it seems to have been driven by non-footballing factors.

Altidore’s disappointing first season in England saw him make 39 appearances for the team across all competitions.

But Altidore was hardly finding the back of the net at AZ; in fact, he scored only one goal in the Premier League that season.

Unfortunately, things would not get any better after that, with the American’s 2014–15 season turning out to be an even bigger disaster.

Before Sunderland decided enough was enough, Altidore, in and out of the team, would make just 11 Premier League appearances and score zero goals.

An utterly awful 18 months in the northeast came to an end when the Black Cats traded Altidore to Toronto of the Major League Soccer in January 2015.

Over the course of his career, Altidore would make over 200 appearances in Major League Soccer and score a respectable number of goals.

But his career bears a stain from his time at Sunderland.

Despite receiving financial rewards, Altidore was never able to establish himself at the highest level in Europe or the Premier League.

He stated in the remarks that were previously quoted that he would not choose the same course of action now.

This strongly implies that the agreement to have him play in the Stadium of Light was doomed from the beginning.

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