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Arriving on Wearisde by private jet, Jeremain Lens has put pen to paper signing a 4 year deal with the club for a fee believed to be in the region of £9mil. The Dutch international will add significant pace to the squad and will likely now team up with Patrick van Aanholt on the left hand side of midfield. Speaking to the club website shortly after signing Lens said:
"I’m very happy to be a Sunderland player. I think it is a good club and it is a great step for me to play in the Barclays Premier League. I followed the team last season following the arrival of Dick Advocaat and we have a good team, so as I said I’m really happy to be here."
Lens added:
"I’ve played for the Dutch national team and played a lot of games in Europe, but the Barclays Premier League is the main test so it will be really good to play some games here. I can play on the left wing, on the right wing and also as a forward, my qualities are that I’m fast, I can score goals and I can create chances so I’m hope that the supporters will see a lot of my qualities this season. I watched the derby against Newcastle United and the supporters were really amazing, so I’ve got a good impression of the fans and I hope they support us in the same way during the new season."
Lens has worked with Dick Advocaat before both at AZ Alkmaar and PSV and this appears to have been important in Lens’ decision to join the Black Cats. At 27 and with 29 caps for the Netherlands he brings experience and quality, strengths that both Congerton and Advocaat were so keen to see within the arrivals this summer. Advocaat told the club website:
"We have signed an international player and I am delighted to welcome him to Sunderland. He is a very well-known player in Europe and has played over 30 games for the Dutch national side, which shows his calibre. I have worked with him twice already, at PSV and AZ, so I know him well; he is fast and he has scored goals everywhere he has played so that will help the team."
Lens will now fly out to join his new colleagues on the North America tour in order to get some game time in before the start of the new campaign where he will hopefully make an instant impact starting away at Leicester on 8th August.