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It may have taken until a week before the start of the new Premier League season but we finally have a new signing after Sunderland made the surprise announcement that they had signed Papy Djilobodji from Chelsea.
Djilobodji has signed a four-year deal for a fee of £8m and not only becomes our first signing of the summer but also the first signing under the management of David Moyes.
Despite signing from Chelsea, Djilobodji only played one minute for the London club after signing in a £2.7m deal from Nantes and spent the second half of last season on loan at Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. The 27-year-old had an eventful few months at Werder, as he scored a late winner to save the club from relegation in the final game of the season but was also banned for three games for making a throat-slitting gesture at an opposition player.
Sunderland have actually tried to sign Djilobodji before but were pipped to his signing by Chelsea but have now secured his signature and the centre-half will provide much needed competition to Lamine Kone and Younes Kaboul. Although his signing will likely spark more unfounded rumours of a move for Kone.
Speaking on safc.com, Papy expressed his delight at moving to the Stadium of Light;
I am so happy to join Sunderland. We are going to do our best to give the fans what they deserve.
I talked to the manager, he called me yesterday and I was so happy.
I hope the fans are going to be happy this season.
Very happy and proud to be joining the @SunderlandAFC !!! #RedAndWhiteArmy
— Papy Djilobodji (@papydjilo15) August 5, 2016
At 6'4", Djilobodji will provide extra strength at the back but is also a good footballer, as according to Yaya Toure;
I have seldom seen a defender with this good a left foot and right foot.
He has played in central midfield in the past - and at left-back in his one minute appearance for Chelsea - but is a central defender by trade as you'll see in the obligatory YouTube video:
