After being appointed Sunderland manager just over a month earlier, Steve Bruce was hoping to invest heavily in a new squad that would make the rest of the Premier League sit up and take notice ahead of the 2009 – 10 season.
The Sunderland side certainly needed both a refresh and a cull. After a couple of years under Roy Keane, the squad had become bloated and oversized, with many players happy to sit pretty on attractive contracts while adding little value whatsoever on the pitch.
Whilst the club
were busy moving some of those players on, they were also looking to attract quality signings that would be seen as a statement of intent. After signing striker Fraizer Campbell from Manchester United, the focus shifted to someone who would be regarded as the main man up front.
Rumours were swirling around a number of names who could be of interest, but only days before this date it had become clear that Sunderland were in talks with Peter Crouch after agreeing a fee with Portsmouth.
Before the days of Twitter and ‘transfer journalists’ such as Fabrizio Romano, Sky Sports News was still the first port of call for breaking transfer stories across the Premier League. When pictures emerged of Peter Crouch arriving at Newcastle Airport, it was clear that talks with Sunderland were at an advanced stage.
Crouch was given a tour of the Academy of Light and sold the dream of moving to Wearside before returning south later that day. As the days passed, however, the silence was deafening and there appeared to be a growing sense of unease over whether Crouch was willing to move north.
Speculation was rife that other clubs, including Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, were also interested, making his next move increasingly uncertain. On this day, a report in The Guardian claimed that Crouch was delaying his decision, with his former manager Harry Redknapp now keen to bring him to Tottenham.
“Peter Crouch is set to delay a decision on his future until next week, with the England international considering an offer from Sunderland but also waiting to hold talks with at least two other Premier League clubs, understood to be Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur. Portsmouth have agreed to allow the 28-year-old to leave Fratton Park for £12m and Crouch, although impressed with Sunderland’s approach during talks yesterday, is keen to explore other options before committing.”
The apparent delay in his decision almost certainly spelled bad news for Bruce and Sunderland, as it became increasingly likely that the easier option for Crouch would be to choose one of the London clubs pursuing his signature.
On this day, Sunderland also recorded a 4 – 0 pre-season victory over Darlington and, afterwards, Bruce was asked about the likelihood of Crouch joining the club.
“It was good to see him up here – let’s keep our fingers crossed.
“I believe there’s some competition for him but we’re hopeful because he’s the type of player who would signal our intention of where we want to be.
“We’ll see what develops in the next 24 to 48 hours. I’m always an optimist and I hope we get him. We’ve done our best, the club have backed me and, if we pull it off, it will be a terrific signing.”
Days later, it became clear that Crouch was not going to join Sunderland and, soon afterwards, it was confirmed that he had signed for Tottenham, rekindling his relationship with his former manager, Harry Redknapp.
It was widely reported that the biggest stumbling block to a move to Sunderland was relocating to the North East, with Crouch, a self-confessed southerner, preferring to remain closer to home.
Months later, the striker would come to the Stadium of Light and score though we still won the game 3-1 in what was one of the most memorable games of the season.
