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The Black Cats continue to strengthen as Younes Kaboul has now signed a 4 year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £3mil. The 29 year old French defender has 5 caps for Les Blues and has made over 140 Premier League appearances, the majority of these coming at Tottenham, making over 80 since his return their in 2010.
Question marks remain regarding his injury record. However having been in the last year of his contract the fee is extremely good business for a player with his vast experience. Kaboul has built a reputation on pace and power and will now be thrown straight into pre-season with his new team mates hoping to cement a place in the heart of our defence. Speaking to the club website Kaboul stated:
"I’m delighted to be a Sunderland player and it’s an honour to join this club." I would like to thank Lee Congerton and the head coach for making this move possible and I can’t wait to start playing for the Sunderland supporters."
Advocaat also speaking to the club site said:
"He is a very experienced player, which is what we need. He has shown that in his time at Spurs and he will be a very good addition to our squad."
Kaboul became captain at Spurs following the departure of Michael Dawson in 2014 but seemingly fell out of favour with latest head coach Mauricio Potchettino. However his leadership qualities will be very much welcomed and he will now bring genuine competition for places. This will no doubt give Advocaat a decision to make come 8th August.
While the majority of the former Portsmouth star’s appearances have been in central defence he has also been deployed in both the fullback and defensive midfield roles when required. Therefore his versatility around the pitch will be vital to us as the demands of the Premier League season take their toll.
What has been most surprising about the transfer is the speed with which it seems to have been concluded. Following the collapse of the Lombaerts deal Congerton looks to have moved swiftly in the transfer market.
However these things tend to rarely move as fast as they appear here, and Congerton may have already made initial contact with Kaboul’s representatives long before the Lombaerts situation turned sour. Kaboul will now join new team mate Jeremain Lens and fly out to North America in order to get game time under their belts ready for the season ahead.