Djibril Cisse: Is It Worth Sunderland Paying £10M for the Frenchman or Not?
A few weeks before Roy Keane left his job as Sunderland boss he had suggested he would be more than happy to break the club’s transfer fee record with a £10m deal for on loan French star Djibril Cisse. However, under new manager Ricky Sbragia the striker’s long-term future is less clear after criticism following the 1-1 home draw with Tottenham.
The manager had this to say after the game, “We told them [Jones and Cissé] at half-time and at the beginning of the game. We spoke about the importance of retaining the ball. The first four balls that went up, we lost possession. Three went to Djib and he gave it away. He’s paid to retain the ball. That’s what he’s paid to do and he hasn’t done it.”
Such criticism suggests the manager may not be as keen on the expensive Frenchman as it first appeared despite 9 goals in 26 League appearances this season (23 starts). The flamboyant frontman has only scored once in his last 9 league appearances and has been substituted off in 3 of the last 4 games which suggests all may not be well at the Stadium of Light.
Cisse capped a dream Black Cats debut by scoring the winner against Spurs at White Hart Lane but it was his goals in the Tyne-Wear derbies v Newcastle that endeared him the Sunderland fans. He’s now scored 9 League goals while his strike partner Kenwyne Jones has 7 himself which suggests they could forge a partnership to terrorise Premier League defences.
The 27-year-old French international rediscovered his form back in France with Marseille following a disastrous 2-year spell on Merseyside. His goal scoring exploits attracted a number of Premier League clubs as well as Italian giants Roma but he ended up on Wearside in a season-long loan deal.
The 5 ft 11 striker scored 24 League goals in 58 matches after returning to France. This includes 16 League goals last season which left him joint 3rd top scorer in French football behind Karim Benzema (20 goals) and team-mate Mamadou Niang (18 goals). His past injury worries seem far behind him after playing in 35 League games last season (29 starts). This is significant after two horrific injuries in the past when playing for Liverpool and then France.
Cisse ended the season in superb form after scoring 5 goals in his last 6 league games but failed to make the final cut for the Euro 2008 squad. This came after the striker missed the 2006 World Cup after a horrific injury in the final warm up match before the tournament. His international record remains 9 goals in 37 appearances for France.
Despite widely being considered a flop in England the fast forward has a pretty impressive career record of 116 goals in 261 League appearances for Auxerre, Liverpool, Marseille and now Sunderland. The flamboyant character has also won plenty of silverware including a French Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions League, the European Supercup and the Confederations Cup. Not a bad record now for a player widely criticised in England, is it?
So would Sunderland fans be pleased to sign the flamboyant French striker from what you’ve seen of him so far or do you consider him vastly overrated? Let’s hear your views.
WIN 100,000 THIS WEEKEND!
The guaranteed Footy 15 jackpot now stands at a staggering £100,000 this weekend. Simply use your football knowledge to predict home win, away win or draw for the fifteen fixtures and you could be in the money!
It really is as simple as that and can be played for just £1!
Check out Alan Hansen’s predictions for this weekend below and click here to play now>> 
Tags: Djibril Cisse, Marseille, Sunderland
