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Rising Welshman Lee Congerton has joined the club as Sunderland's new Sporting Director. Whilst different in title, the 39-year old effectively replaces Roberto De Fanti as the man pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Congerton has already spoken to the club's official website upon his installation, which is almost as much as De Fanti offered during the whole time he was here;
I'm delighted to join Sunderland AFC and would like to thank the board and owner for this great opportunity.
Working alongside Gus and his team was one of the influential factors in me joining the club and something that I am very much looking forward to.
Meanwhile Gus Poyet threw back some of the love in the direction of Congerton in the same statement;
I would like to welcome Lee to the club. Recruitment is one of the most important areas in football nowadays, so I'm looking forward to working alongside Lee for the best of the club.
Gus Poyet has sole control of things during the January transfer window, but said all along he didn't mind working with someone above him, provided it was the right person.
Poyet is said to have had a large say in who replaced the deposed De Fanti at the club, and Congerton arrives with a sterling reputation.
Hamburg currently sit towards the bottom of the Bundesliga, however he is continuing to learn, and his experience of rising through the ranks of Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as being highly thought of by both Jose Mourinho and Frank Arnesen is sure to be a good thing.
We'll have more on Congerton soon with a full profile of the new man at the helm.
