The summer of 2024 certainly proved to be a rather eventful one from a Sunderland perspective.
There was of course, a change in manager, with Regis Le Bris taking charge, after months without a permanent boss following the sacking of Michael Beale back in February.
Le Bris arrived at the Stadium of Light on a three-year contract following his departure from Lorient, who suffered relegation from the French top-flight last season
Meanwhile, there were also some significant changes to the first-team squad over the course of the transfer window.
In total, ten senior players left the Black Cats in that period, with nine more being added to the squad in that period.
However, one player Sunderland did not complete a deal for prior to the window closing on the 30th August, was Alexandre Mendy
Black Cats missed out on the signing of Caen striker
Throughout the summer, it seemed apparent that the Championship side were keen to add more attacking firepower to their ranks, with Mendy a particular target.
The centre-forward has been on the books of French second-tier side Caen since the summer of 2020, during which time he has scored 65 goals in 143 appearances in all competitions for the club.
Meanwhile, at 30-years-old, Mendy would also have brought some experience to the Sunderland attack, that has been rather lacking in recent times.
As a result, he did look like being a sensible and appealing target for the Black Cats, who reportedly had a bid rejected by Caen for the striker.
With something of a saga developing, Mendy himself gave an interview last month, in which he insisted he wanted to move to Sunderland before the window closed.
However, no move materialised before the August 30th deadline, with the striker instead remaining a Caen player for the time being.
But given the way the season has started, there could be an argument that Mendy may now be rather regretting the fact that he did not secure a move to The Stadium of Light this summer.
Sunderland and Caen have had differing fortunes this season
Despite their 3-2 defeat at Plymouth Argyle at the weekend, it has still been a strong start to the campaign for the Black Cats.
Prior to that stoppage time defeat at Home Park, Sunderland had a 100% record in the league this season.
| Sunderland 2024/25 Championship record – as of 17th September 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Opposition | Results |
| 10/08/24 | Cardiff City (A) | Won 2-0 |
| 18/08/24 | Sheffield Wednesday (H) | Won 4-0 |
| 24/08/24 | Burnley (H) | Won 1-0 |
| 31/08/24 | Portsmouth (A) | Won 3-1 |
| 14/09/24 | Plymouth Argyle (A) | Lost 3-2 |
As a result, they do still sit second in the Championship table, meaning they may be hoping they can rediscover the propensity to challenge for promotion to the Premier League this season.
That is something Mendy would surely have relished being a part of, given the opportunity it might have given him to play in the top-flight of English football in the future.
Indeed, given the record he has produced for Caen, the striker may also feel that he could have made some important contributions for Sunderland to such a cause.
As it is though, Mendy has endured a more challenging start to the season in France with Caen, than the club who were targeting him in the summer, have done in England.
Last season, Caen claimed a sixth place finish in the French second-tier, ending the campaign just one point adrift of a promotion play-off place.
So far though, things have been rather different for those connected with Caen at the start of the current campaign.
Following their 3-1 defeat to Grenoble on Monday night – in which Mendy started and scored for the first time this season – they have taken just one point from four league games.
As a result, the club now sit third-from-bottom of the French second-tier standings, in what will be a relegation play-off place.
There is of course, still plenty of time to go in the season, with more than enough scope for things to change drastically with so much of the campaign still to be played.
For now though, there can be no denying that Sunderland’s prospects do currently look more promising than those of Caen.
With that in mind, you could understand it if Mendy did currently have some regrets and questions about exactly how his transfer saga played out during the summer.
