As the dust settled on Steve Bruce’s first campaign as Sunderland manager after the 2009 – 10 season, the rumour mill was well and truly up and running regarding what could be next on the cards for Sunderland following their 13th-place finish.
As is generally the case in the month of June, there were far more rumours and murmurings than concrete transfer news or completed deals. June 2010 was especially slow given that the World Cup in South Africa was now underway.
One of Sunderland’s most impressive
players from the previous season was John Mensah, and he was in South Africa at the time representing his national team, Ghana.
Whilst he was there, there was much speculation about his club future, given that he had spent the season on loan at Sunderland from Lyon in France.
Mensah was an incredibly solid central defender, but his biggest issue was the recurring injuries that hampered his consistency and availability. This is highlighted by the fact that the Ghanaian started only 14 games for Sunderland.
Whilst it may only have been 14 games, he was almost imperious in every one of them, and that ensured that Bruce and the club were keen to negotiate a deal for a player who came with something of a warning label attached.
When pressed on his future by a journalist during his World Cup duty, Mensah insisted that he would be very open to a return to Wearside, whilst also suggesting that the club felt the same way.
“My time at Sunderland’s been good, but I’m frustrated because I had a lot of injuries,” said Mensah, who was one of three Sunderland players performing in South Africa, along with Paraguayan duo Paulo da Silva and Cristian Riveros.
“After the World Cup, we’ll see what is going to be the next step between Sunderland and Lyon.
“I think they would like to keep me and I’d like to stay, but I’m not the club president and you know what it’s like in football. So it’s between both clubs to decide.”
The same news article that appeared in the Northern Echo also suggested that the club were unwilling to pay the £7 million asking price due to Mensah’s injury record, although an agreement between the parties was expected to be finalised after Ghana’s exit from the World Cup.
It actually took until August for Mensah’s return to Sunderland to be confirmed, and it eventually came in the form of another loan deal that appeared to suit all parties.
During his second season on Wearside, he fared slightly better in terms of availability, making 18 appearances for the club. However, his contract was never extended following the conclusion of his second loan spell.
After leaving Lyon, Mensah had a spell at Rennes before moving to Sweden, but he barely played due to the persistent injury problems that had affected much of his career.
